Lenaya Riddle, Darker Secrets
by sammiehollyfowl
Summary: Lenaya Riddle, is a young girl with a dark past. Snape unwillingly takes her in, but as the epic story of Harry Potter unfolds, how will their relationship be tested? Between Good and Death Eater, Lenaya has a crucial decision to make. George and OC. R&R!
1. Book One

Book One

Lenaya Riddle, Darker Secrets

By: Sam S. - Idea, Characters, and All Consideration Belongs to J. K. Rowling

Thank You


	2. A Welcomed Intruder

Lenaya Riddle

The little girl with bright blue eyes and long raven black hair, stood erect. Eyes trained forward, shoulders cocked, she knew what was to come. Her father had been killed by a curse he himself had cast just two years ago today. He had attempted to kill the young boy who was destined to destroy him, he ended up being killed by his own curse.

"Crucio!" Her mother screamed as a wave of pain seared throughout her entire body. The little girl had learned very early not to show fear, not to show pain, for it only made her mother's satisfaction heighten and cause the pain to endure longer. Her mother was vile and insane and the girl had learned she was nothing more to her then a punching bag. Always the brute end of her mother's anger and frustration whenever plans had gone awry or horrid things had happened. "Crucio!" Again and again the torture continued, each time more painful then the last. When her father was around she had respect, the respect of her mother and of the Death Eaters, however now that he was gone their jealousy and rage bubbled over until they she became their release.

"Crucio!" Again her mother screamed. Do not show pain do not show fear...

This was the last assault of her mother's torture upon her; she knew, for this was the most severe, the most painful. The girl could not help it any longer, she collapsed to the floor crying out in agony, this was too much for a child to take, too excruciating. "Mum, please!" The girl wept on the stone floor, writhing in pain, lashing out involuntarily. "Please, mum! Stop, please! It wasn't my fault!"

Bellatrix laughed maniacally, grasping whatever joy she could from her daughter's pitiful pleas for mercy. "Not your fault you say? Not your fault! Of course it's your fault, he was killed because you can't cast magic!" Her final release broke out and the girl writhed to the floor in the most excruciating agony she had experienced. Screaming, and crying, suddenly the release ended.

Bellatrix stumbled back as though she had been punched in the gut, the sickening sneer which usually graced her beautiful face no longer showed. She sunk into a large maroon, satin arm-chair by the roaring fire. "Leave me, Lenaya." The whisper left Lenaya more fearful then the torture before hand. "Did you not hear me you ungrateful, pathetic excuse for a pure-blooded worm?! I said LEAVE!" So, Lenaya left.

She ran, ran from that wretched room, ran down the stone spiral staircase, ran across the foyer and ran into her small room, where she slammed the door with all her force. She knelt to the floor cowering in the cold dank corner. Were it not for a loud _snap, _Lenaya would probably never had realized there was an intruder in her room. A tall man with a long silver beard and twinkling blue eyes lined by half-moon spectacles.

Shivering on the floor, Lenaya looked up at the old kind-looking man and stuttered, "Wh- who are you?"

The old wizard smiled kindly down unto the pitiable girl in the corner and stretched out and arm and said, "Why my dear, I am your savior."

Looking around the room, and then at the door, the sobbing girl took the wizard's arm and looked onto her prison one last time before spiraling out of control as the wizard apparated them both far away from the Hell Lenaya had known her whole life.

The little three year old girl stumbled around a large, bright room full of shiny baubles and levitating ornaments. She felt terribly ill, and as she had thought she might, she suddenly became violently ill and threw up on the wizard's wooden floor. "S-s-sorry." She muttered, flinching as the wizard pulled out his own wand.

He saw her cower and said, "My dear, you are safe here." He used his wand to clean up and the mess and walked towards the little girl, placing his hand on her small shoulder he said, "Here, you may be at peace."

Lenaya nodded, unsure but somehow she did feel more protected here in this warm, bright room. Here, she did feel more at peace standing in front of the old kindly looking man before her. However, it did come to mind that no one had known about her before, not even some of the Death Eaters. So how had this man come to know of her, or better yet, how had he come to know where to find her? It was all very odd and almost too much for a three-year-old to comprehend at once.

Looking around she saw pictures, many moving paintings of elder men and women, all finely dressed and all starring right at her. This was somewhat alarming as she had never seen a moving painting before, being shut up all her life she hardly knew anything. She also saw many books and an odd sort of collection of trinkets on many bookshelves. A hat, a sword, and many other littler objects one would find in a common waste disposal. She thought this to be very odd, but so were the circumstances she know found herself. All the while, as she was gazing up at the ornate ceiling or admiring the phoenix besides the old man's desk, the man had sat down and continued, like all the other paintings, to stare at her as though she were a animal at a zoo.

Noticing his piercing blue eyes on her at last, she asked, "Where is _here_ exactly, sir?" The old man smiled and winked.

"This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And you are welcome here as a guest, not a slave." Turning to the painting besides him, the old man said, "Therlious, go and fetch Severus in your other frame at his house, if you will. Tell him I have a proposition in able for him to try and redeem himself."

The portly man with thick black hair in the painting grinned and answered, "He'll be happy to hear from you professor. Been doin' nothin' but pacin' his study since you sent him away. You want him to aparate outside the school grounds and come in then?"

"If it is convenient for him, yes." Therlious grinned wider and wobbled out of his frame, laughing the way. "So, Lenaya. I take it that you no longer want to be with your mother and the Death Eaters as you were so willing to take my arm?"

Taken aback by the use of her name and the knowledge this man had, Lenaya stuttered, "I-I...Ho-how do you know my name?"

The old wizard smile and Lenaya could not help but feel warmer by his eyes, "Well, my dear, being Albus Dumbledore does have its advantages."

Dumbledore? Albus _Dumbledore_? No, it could not be. Lenaya had been taught to fear him, taught to see this old, kindly wizard as the enemy. The man who had stood in the way of her father, the man who had let muggles and pure-bloods alike to live together as equals. All feeling of warmth had gone as Lenaya quickly attempted to defend herself by cowering in the corner of the room, "No! You can't be _him_! _He_ is evil! Leave me alone, take me back!" Her shouting did not come as a shock to the old wizard, but a sad frown could not be helped as he watched the little girl whimper in the corner at the sound of his own name. "Please, don't kill me!" She shouted as he stood and walked over to her.

"Kill you?" Dumbledore knelt down beside her and ignored her flinch as he placed his had on her shoulder. "Child, understand here you are safe. I would never kill you, Lenaya. There will be no more torture, no more death, no more pain. You are free here." She could not understand it, he was the enemy. So then why was he being so kind? Why had he not tortured her, why was he promising her all this? Could she really have been wrong? Could he really be her savior? She looked up at his blue eyes and he smiled warmly at her. She smiled back and turned her body to him so she could hug him. It was gentle and timid, but Dumbledore knew this was the start of something much better then what he had hoped for.

They broke away from each other. Dumbledore stood and walked over to the painting he had just spoken to before. Therlious had returned with an even broader grin then before, if that was even possible. Lenaya wiped the tears from her eyes and stood as well, now feeling more comfortable, she took one of the seats opposite of the wizard's desk. Her feet not even touching the carpet below.

"Well?" Asked the professor to the painting. Quite an odd thing, thought Lenaya, talking paintings. Therlious, hoisting himself up and down by the rim of his blazer with sheer satisfaction, chuckled once more.

"He is on his way. Nearly feel over when I reported the news, sad sod. Anyways, he aparated before I could even finish. I think you've got a real keeper on your hands with this one, Dumbledore. Mark my words, he _will_ be _useful_." Therlious sighed and continued to go on blabbering to himself about how is own heritage was to be used for Dumbledore's grand scheme and how proud he was to be the great-great-great grandfather of the man traveling to the castle right now.

Dumbledore, now that things were underway, finally took a real look at the girl in front of him. She was small, as though she had never seen a decent meal and her hair, though long and looked as though it could be very beautiful, was matted and greasy from malnourishment and neglect. Her clothes were altogether to large and could easily be mistaken for Azkaban garb, but a small sad sort of smile graced her pretty face and he knew she would finally have a better life after tonight, the life she deserved to have.

Dumbledore took the girl's left arm without word. A fear had just sprouted in his brilliant mind, her peace and happiness all relied on one simple truth, had he done it? Was she apart of him? Lenaya had caught on and instead of drawing back like he feared she might have, Lenaya pulled up her sleeve to reveal nothing. A wave of relief washed over Dumbledore and he smiled at her, placing his hand on her head. "Good."

"They didn't think I was ready. Not even my father." Lenaya explained, pulling her sleeve back down over her arm. Dumbledore nodded. "Why is he dead?" The question was simple, but it had come as a shock to Dumbledore none the less. "Why did he never come back to me?"

It was clear that Voldemort had shown some sort of affection towards the girl, certainly more so then her own mother. But surely Voldemort had only seen her as an extension of his power, a daughter of the dark lord. Surely he thought she would have greater power then any of his Death Eaters had ever had. But no, he could never have felt real love and so Dumnbledore felt no guilt in replying as thus, "He did not want you." The little girl looked appalled, of course he wanted her. No, Dumbledore was ling. Lenaya shook her head in disbelief.

"Of course the Dark Lord wanted me back, I was his heir. His power lies within me, he wouldn't just leave me." Lenaya muttered more-so to herself then to the wizard sitting behind the desk, but before Dumbledore had a chance to rebuttal, a knock came at the door. The knock was so loud, it caused Lenaya to jump in the air and before Dumbledore could answer the knock the door flung open. A tall, black-clad man with hair almost as greasy and thick as Lenaya's, walked so fast up to Dumbledore's desk he nearly was running. In fact, his attention was fixed so much unto the old wizard that the man had not even realized there was a second being in the room.

"Sir, you have a proposition?" The man's voice was cold and melodic, almost like a deep hissing snake. Lenaya, over her startle, looked harder at the man beside her. She could have sworn he looked familiar, but why would a Death Eater be working for Dumbledore? She dismissed the thought and turned to Dumbledore.

"I do, Severus." Dumbledore raised a hand and indicated towards Lenaya sitting just adjacent to him. The man looked down on the timid girl before him and looked back up to the wizard in a shocked disbelief. "I'm placing her under your charge. She should be able to, well, help you, don't you agree?" The other man opened his mouth to say something then shut it quickly, he did so three times before Dumbledore said, "Of course you can always go back to your old job, Severus." The tall man shut his mouth and shook his head slowly side to side. "Well, then, I suggest you do as I say. Right?" He nodded. "Good."

Turning to Lenaya, Dumbledore said, "Lenaya, this is Severus Snape. Severus, this is Lenaya." Lenaya smiled up at the man who gave the smallest twitch of his lip. "Lenaya, if it is alright with you, Severus shall be your care-taker, unless of course you wish to go back to your mother. In which case I would understand, after all she is your blood."

Looking at the man, she considered the idea of living with such a person. Then again the idea of going back to her mother, especially after she had been away for so long, was a much worse thought. "Blood isn't everything, she is no relation of mine." Snape and Dumbledore exchanged glances, Dumbledore smiled at him with an amused knowing behind his eyes. "Besides," Lenaya began. "How much worse could a charge set by the great Dumbledore be then a load of Death Eaters?"

Snape smiled all too little for anyone to notice but Dumbledore gave a chuckle, "Well, I thank you for your faith, little one. But if you would do me a favour and wait outside my office whilst I talk to Severus. We have much to go over you see." Lenaya nodded and got up from the chair she had taken comfort in and walked towards the door. Before opening it she turned to the two men, "Thank you." She opened the door and stepped into the hall, shutting it slowly behind her.


	3. Let the Parenting, Begin!

Lenaya Riddle

"Dumbledore, are you mad? Do you really expect _me_ to look after some sniveling, little girl?" Snape sneered as the door closed behind them. "Honestly, what good do you think will come of this? Offering me this random girl you probably found off the streets of London?" Dumbledore shook his head slowly at Snape's onslaught.

Raising a hand, he ceased Snape's babbling. "Give you a random child? Come now Severus, do you really have such doubt in my brilliance? Give you a random child, no. Lenaya has a role to play in all this, just as you. In time we shall come to see just how large a part." Snape shook his greasy head, taking a seat, as he knew this conversation would last much longer then wanted, he replied.

"What are you going on about now? Riddles, Dumbledore, riddles are all you speak in sometimes. It makes it rather hard to have faith in a man's brilliance if he sounds like a poem from a child's book. Who_ is_ that girl and why is it _so_ important for _me_ to care for her?" Dumbledore smiled inwardly at Snape's ignorance and short fuse.

"You swore. Must I remind you of that night? You swore you would do anything. Anything, for _her_. Do you remember, Severus?" Snape calmed himself, not wishing to be reminded of his mistakes. He knew he had sworn his allegiance, had sworn to do anything Dumbledore had asked of him. Snape nodded, a sober expression claiming his former hostility.

Silence ensued, broken only by the cooing of the phoenix and the small clinking of bobbles in the background. Snape adverted his eyes so the piercing blue could not see his own shame, could not see his pain. Dumbledore sighed and folded his hands on the desk before him. Also looking down he said, "Severus, Lenaya is the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Tom Riddle." This news claimed Snape's attention at once. His head snapped up so quickly, it almost looked reptilian. A look of awe, horror and disbelief stained his pale face. Noticing Snape's confounded stare, Dumbledore nodded and said, "Yes, I felt the same the first I heard of the news. I thought it almost impossible for Lord Voldemort to want an heir, to want to share power. Yet I believe all he wanted was a more powerful follower, a second in command with the same control over his Death Eaters he had. Someone to keep ranks while he may be away. I do not believe however, that the girl was conceived by natural means."

"Magic?" Snape whispered, still too stunned to gain control of his expressions. He shook his head, "But how is it I have not come to know of her? Maybe..." Dumbledore leaned forward as Snape seemed to be lost in his memories.

"Yes, Severus?" Encouraged Dumbledore. Knowledge is power and a little more power never hurt anyone, well, maybe not everyone. "What do you remember?"

"Maybe, I could be wrong. But I did hear of such a plan, well, one to such an extent. I overheard it from Bellatrix and Lord Voldemort themselves, while the were in a room alone. Bella was so excited, more so then usual. That's why I stopped to hear, but it seemed most of their planning had been discussed before I had the opportunity to hear any more. I do also remember, before the Potters... before it happened, I could have sworn I saw Bellatrix carrying a baby. I saw her through the crack in the door, she was holding it so mother-like and loving. It did not seem real so I dismissed it, blamed it on anxiety. None of us, none of the Death Eaters had seen Bella for months, not even Narcissa had seen her sister."

Dumbledore sighed as realization swept across Snape. "Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "I have heard the same from others." Snape looked up confused.

"Others, Dumbledore?" Snape asked, skepticism on his face.

"Well, you cannot believe that you are the only Death Eater who wished for redemption can you? Come now, in all of us is both light and dark. You being the perfect example." Snape, though still skeptical, nodded. Dumbledore smiled and sighed again, "However, along with looking after the girl, I have one more request, if you don't mind, Severus." Snape nodded.

"I swore to anything you bequeathed, Dumbledore." Snape said, obedient, yet anxious.

Adjusting a crooked ornament on his desk, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Yes, you did didn't you? Hogwarts is in need of a potions master, and I was hoping, as you have always been exceptional at the art..."

"You want_ me_ to teach at Hogwarts?" Snape asked, a little taken aback.

Dumbledore looked into the man's dark eyes and smiled, "If it is not too much trouble to ask of course, I would appreciate it."

"Yes. I will teach," Snape answered slowly. "But perhaps I could teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? Surely, as you may imagine, I would be much more useful there-" Dumbledore rose his hand to request silence, he could not let Snape teach Defense against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore knew he had already taken a huge risk by asking the ministry to allow him to teach at Hogwarts. A huge risk for both of them. He would not ask Fudge to let a former Death Eater to teach young witches and wizards Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"I believe, Severus, you would be much more suited for Potions. The subject was always one of your favourites while you were going to Hogwarts, was it not?" Snape looked insulted, more suited for Potions? Did Dumbledore not trust him?

"Y-yes, professor, it was. But perhaps, Defense Against the Dark Arts? After all, that is, all that I have seen and done, I-" Snape was intent on getting the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, if he was to teach at Hogwarts, that was what he wanted to teach.

"Now, now Severus. I have made up my mind. You must not expect and old man to change his mind, after all. You shall teach potions. In the dungeons, I suppose you would prefer?" Snape nodded, defeated. "Good, although I must say, a little sun would do your complexion nicely Severus." Dumbledore nodded, smiling at his little joke. Snape gave a sharp breath and nodded.

"Now, as for the girl," Snape came to attention, he had almost forgotten about his newest chore waiting patiently just outside the office. "I am placing her under your charge, however she is unknown to the ministry as of yet and for her own good I plan to keep them in the dark. She will be yours until she has reached seventeen. She will live with you and you will care for her."

Snape sighed, "Yes, sir." His eyes downcast, this task seemed almost too much for the man to carry out. A child? Snape had never envisioned himself with a daughter, well maybe once... But his fantasies were all such a while ago, a child, how absurd.

"Now, generally children of magical ability tend to show their powers around the age of two. Lenaya, however has not shown any sign of magic, thus why her family was so harsh on her. This and other reasons." Dumbledore said in a conversational tone.

"Other reasons being they're all mad?" Muttered Snape.

Dumbledore ignored Snape's assessment and went on, "I do believe, however that Lenaya is far from a squib. No, with a powerful mother and father like her's? She will have power, yes, power enough maybe one day to match Lord Voldemort's. Alas, _he_ is not her destiny."

Snape knew the one who would one day smite down the dark lord, he knew whose destiny it was to bring justice to Lord Voldemort, but he did not say a word. Snape had heard the prophecy, and there is not a day he wished he hadn't. "Will she be going to Hogwarts? If in fact you are correct, as usual and she does have power, will she be attending Hogwarts, or shall I send her away to a foreign school? Somewhere she won't be under threat from students?" Snape wondered if she would be persecuted or attacked if ever her identity were to come into knowledge of the other pupils, something, though he knew she was not his, he would never want for the little girl.

"Now, now, Severus, are we already feeling an attachment towards the child?" Dumbledore teased, waving away Snape's befuddled expression. "No, I believe she shall be perfectly safe here at Hogwarts. To send her away while both you and I are teaching would only leave her vulnerable when, if the time comes, Voldemort or any other Death Eater should decide to want her back." Snape nodded, he had not thought of the other's wanting her at all really, the way she looked and how timid she was.

"Yes, of course. I shall do all you ask Dumbledore." Snape nodded, a brief chuckle could be heard adjacent the headmaster's desk as Therlious strutted about his frame with the smuggest of all grins upon his rounded face.

"Doin' all you shall ask of him, Dumbledore! You hear that? I told you he would be useful now didn't I? Us Princes are all _very_ useful, we are!" Therlious continued his heroic march, muttering to himself about the pride of the Prince heritage. Dumbledore smiled up at the painting then winked back at Snape, who looked a tad bit embarrassed to have someone in a petite frame so proud of him.

"Yes, yes Therlious. We are all _quite_ proud of young Severus Snape." Dumbledore smiled, "Well, Severus on that cheery note, that is all I have for you today. You may go and obtain young Lenaya and go now to your happy family home." Dumbledore chuckled with delight.

As Severus stood and walked towards the door, slowly he turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Dumbledore, should she be enrolled under my name or Riddle's?" Dumbledore looked up at him, all seriousness in his eyes.

"A choice question, how about we let _her_ decide?" Dumbledore nodded with his decision. Snape nodded also and turned back towards the door. Opening it he smiled ever so slightly at Dumbledore then closed the wooden door, vanishing into the night of the castle.

Finally at peace with himself, or as much peace as a man like himself could be at any one time, Dumbledore settled down in his large chair, perfectly comfortable. "I believe, Fawkes," Dumbledore muttered to the phoenix beside him. "Now would be an exquisite opportunity for a little kip." Dumbledore shut his eyes, his wrinkled hands folded delicately on his chest. Fawkes cooed a soft lullaby for his master, a beautiful melody.

Just as a soft snore had escaped the old wizard's lips, a loud knocking could be heard and before the rapping had even finished itself, the door was flung open with hastened force. Snape nearly tumbled into the room, out of breath, his eyes wild. Greasy streaks of matted hair fell across his pale face, yet he had not the slightest worry for it. Dumbledore came to attention immediately and suddenly fearful.

"The girl, she's gone!" Snape's hiss was full of alarm and concern. A threatening sound, which only brought confusion to the older man.

Dumbledore stood, "Well, Severus, she could not have gone too far, certainly not out of the castle." Dumbledore walked, quicker then normal to Snape and the two men shut the door behind them, leaving Fawkes to his song. The gargoyle leapt away from the passage as the two emerged from the stairs. "Severus, calm down." Dumbledore whispered as they made their way down each hall then to the Grand Staircase. They came to the stairs, where Dumbledore, an amused smile which reached the corners of his eyes lay, laughed at Severus starring around every direction. "My, my Severus, perhaps appointing you this girl's charge _was_ a mistake."

Snape whipped his head at Dumbledore and hissed, "What are you blabbering about now? That girl is _gone_!" Dumbledore sighed, still smiling.

"Once again, Severus, you are far too quick to jump to conclusions. Lenaya is not gone, simply curious." He raised a wrinkled hand and pointed across the staircase where Lenaya stood on a constantly moving stair. She looked completely and utterly entertained by the stair she was on, she did not leave it once it had become stationary, for there was far too much to see from her position. Up and down, mouth wide open, she starred at the ceiling, the paintings, the ghosts, the windows, anything that seemed of any importance at all, or even the architecture or carvings on the stairs, was a treasure for her wide, curious eyes.

"And so the parenting begins." Dumbledore chuckled at Snape's irritation. "I shall see you when school begins, Severus. Goodnight." With that final farewell, Dumbledore patted the man on the shoulder and left him to his newest challenge, one that would certainly prove to be a _challenge_. Snape nodded and continued through the maze of stairs until he came up to Lenaya. She was so fascinated with the ghost above her she hadn't noticed Snape's approach at all. Snape, noticing the sheer amazement in the girl, decided to walk up slowly as not to disrupt her.

"That, is Sir Nicholas." He said quietly.

Lenaya jumped, the amazement gone, she diverted her eyes. "S-sorry. I, I didn't mean to go so far, I-" Snape raised his brow. Curious child this girl was turning out to be.

"I am not cross, but you should have seen Dumbledore," Snape shook his head, a smile playing at his lips. "You had him worried sick." The girl looked so ashamed and guilty, it almost was sad to see. Snape shook his greasy head, "So, have you ever seen a ghost before, Lenaya?"

Lenaya looked at Snape, fascination set in again, "No, never! Nor talking paintings, its all so amazing! What did you say his name was?" Lenaya pointed up at Nick, he floated quietly, unawares of the two below starring up at him. Snape nodded and called out to Nick.

"Sir Nicholas," Nick gave a start, apparently trying to sleep (though ghost were never in need of it, it helped them to feel more alive.) and floated gracefully down until he was level with the two on the moving stair. Nick moved gently with the stair. "Perhaps you may talk to this young witch here, never before has she been graced with the presence of a ghost." Lenaya smiled at Snape for calling her a witch, then released her full grin up at the curly haired ghost.

"But of course, Severus, I would be more then pleased." Nick smiled gently at Lenaya who gave a gasp.

"They can speak? Oh, how wonderful!" Snape gave a small, quick smile, Nick laughed and itched at his neck.

"Well, of course we can speak. How do you think we got into so many horror stories if we couldn't speak? We also have names." Holding out an intangible hand Nick said, "Good evening miss, I am Sir Nicholas." Lenaya grinned and held out her hand where Nick's would have been.

She drew back almost immediately, "You're cold."

"Am I? Well, I never really gave it any thought." Said Nick conversationally, scratching his chest.

"I'm Lenaya. Mr. Snape is going to be my care-taker." Lenaya grinned. Nick looked around at the man in black, skepticism painted across his translucent face. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Care-taker? _Severus_? How interesting. Well, Lenaya, I am _very_ please to meet you." Lenaya giggled and nodded, trying to hide her reddening cheeks behind her abnormally large sleeves.

"Thank you Sir Nicholas, but I am afraid Lenaya and I must move along. Busy night and all." Snape said coolly. Always his manner of speaking, Lenaya noticed, a hiss with a thin sheet of ice.

Nick nodded and said, "Right Severus. Goodnight, Miss Lenaya."

Lenaya nodded and took Snape's side as they walked down the stair. Before taking the door to the second floor corridor, Lenaya turned and called out, "Sir, how did you die?"

Nick turned and smiled, again in a conversational tone he said, "An execution gone horribly wrong, I'm afraid." With that he lifted his head to the side allowing Lenaya to see his nearly headless self. Lenaya gasped then a grin played at her lips.

"Cool." She muttered. Snape looked down at her, amusement in his dark eyes. Perhaps the girl would not be so hard to care for.

The pair of them then walked through the castle down to the main foyer. All the while Lenaya gasped and awed at the many aspects of the castle, more paintings, the suits of armor, the trophies and all manner of things. Several times Snape found himself dragging her by hand out of many offices and rooms she had unintentionally strayed into. Though she was amazed and had the tendency to curve away from Snape, the trip to the main doors was altogether silent, not a word paced between them.

Once outside in the cool summer night air, Lenaya turned around to admire the castle now from the outside. Again awes escaped her lips and grins of pure excitement could be seen perhaps even from orbit. They walked together, again in silence until they reached the forbidden forest. It had then come to Snape's attention the Lenaya was no longer looking around, enjoying her surroundings, rather she was looking at the ground. A sad sort of expression draped her face.

A sound in the distance frightened her and by instinct she grabbed onto Snape's hand. Snape looked down startled, though the sensation was odd and unfamiliar, he did not dismiss her, rather he held on tighter. He supposed it would make her feel safer. "Are- are you alright?" He asked, noticing her face.

She sighed, "It's just all so odd really. I never thought of a life away from my mother, a life without pain. I just figured, that's what I got, that that was what I deserved. That's what she always told me anyway." Snape grimaced, that did seem like a cold-heartened thing for Bellatrix to say to her own daughter.

"You never deserved any of that." He said looking out into the distance, squeezing her hand once more. "Hold on tight." He said once they reached a fence.

"Where are we going?" Lenaya asked, she gave a small sad sort of smile up at him.

"Home." Snape replied, the last thing Lenaya heard before diziness took over as she found herself once again spiraling out of control into the darkness unknown.


	4. Dreadful Weather

Lenaya Riddle

The spiraling came to an end as Lenaya was flung into a nearby hedge. Tumbling about, she managed to pull her head out of the plant and stand up strait in order to see exactly where _home _was. She stood by Snape as the two of them looked up at the small, dark, ivy-covered cottage before them. The garden around the cottage was lined by overgrown hedging, which Lenaya imagined looked pretty at one point in time. A tall, old oak grew high above the cottage, it's limbs resting just above the moldy roof. Leaves scattered the garden and the roof, obviously Snape had no intention on caring for the place or tending to any aspect of the property. Weeds grew in all corners of the garden, wild flowers lined the foundations and moss and mildew covered the windows and shingles.

"Charming." Lenaya muttered sarcastically, Snape looked down at the girl and huffed. So he hadn't done anything to the house since his parents left it to him? It was still his home, and her's now too.

"Get used to it." Snape said, walking up the uneven path to the ivy-covered door. Lenaya followed quietly behind his billowing black robes, looking around into the night. From what she could see over the hedge, they were in a village of some sort, houses lined the street out front, though none quite in such disrepair as Snape's. Pulling out his wand Snape tapped the dark wooden door three times. Lenaya heard a soft _clink_ and the door swung open slowly.

"Inside." Hissed Snape. As she stepped through the threshold, Snape glanced around, looking only slightly paranoid into the dark night sky.

The interior was in just as much disorder as the rest of the house. Dust and dirt clung around the cottage as Snape lit the candles on a small table opposite the door. Lenaya looked around, old intricately designed furniture decorated the rooms. A large mirror stood against the wall, dust clinging to every fiber of it's being. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the ceiling and on the banisters of the staircase just adjacent to the mirror. Lenaya stepped forward and wiped her finger on the railing, dusts clung to her small hand.

"Clean much?" She said looking around. Snape dismissed her and slunk through a door, lighting candles and chandeliers on his way. Lenaya, deciding Snape was in no mood right now to play 'daddy', walked through the opposite door into what appeared to be the sitting room. Bookshelves lined the wood paneled walls, each full of various assortments of books and trinkets like in Dumbledore's study. A fire place roared to life by magic as she stepped closer to it. Lenaya jumped back, startled. She gazed at the fire then turned and saw several arm chairs and a sofa opposite the fireplace.

"Fancy seeing you again?" Came a familiar voice from above the mantel piece. Lenaya looked up and saw a round, grinning, Therlious starring down at her. "Welcome to the House of Prince. Though I must say I am a bit displeased with the upkeep of my family's home." He said looking around the room.

"Yes," Lenaya also looked about. "Cleaning doesn't seem to be one of Mr. Snape's special abilities, does it?" She smiled at the painting. "Mr. Therlious," The round man looked at the girl, "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about Hogwarts? Mr. Snape doesn't seem like he wants to talk all that much."

"Oh, right of course, Hogwarts." Lenaya sat on the hearth and starred up at the little man while he began explaining about the ancient school. "Hogwarts has been around for over a thousand years, founded by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. Godric Griffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Now, there are four houses in the school, each named for the four founders. My family has been in Slytherin for centuries, quite a noble house of mainly pure-bloods. Except for Severus, he got into Slytherin, though he is only half-blood."

"How are students sorted? By blood then?" Lenaya asked, soaking up all knowledge she could.

"Oh, no dear, do not think the wizarding world so prejudice and simple minded, no! There is a hat, enchanted by the four founders in order to seek out the traits the founders all had within a student. If they are more like Godric, they are placed in Griffindor house, if they are more like Salazar, they are placed in Slytherin house and so on and so forth. Each house has their own advantages and disadvantages, though tradition is honorable, which is why being in Slytherin is so important to my family." Explained Therlious. His views on how people were all the same, though he did favour Slytherin, was different to what Lenaya was always taught. Muggles were scum, half-bloods were good as, and pure-bloods were supirior. Muggle-borns were the worst, in the opinion of the Death Eaters, according to her teachings they did not deserve half the power they possessed. Alas, Therlious taught differently and Lenaya supposed all teachings had their variations. Therlious continued explaining in full detail about Hogwarts, the lessons and all the teachers. Lenaya adored every word and craved every fact Therlious had to offer. Hogwarts sounded like the greatest place in all the world.

Little did either of them know, as snake-like as he is, Snape stood in the shadows of the bookshelves silently watching and listening. While Lenaya gained knowledge of Hogwarts, Snape learned much of the young girl before him. She was so curious and retained information easily. Her thirst for knowledge never seemed to be parched, and Therlious was happy to have someone to listen to him for once, so he kept on. Snape smiled but always a small twitch, at all the girl's questions and her eagerness to learn.

After about two hours Therlious began to become quite tired of explaining every nook and cranny of Hogwarts and though he kept on talking, began to fall asleep. "When- when I was," Therlious' eyes became heavy as he dipped over, his weight becoming too much for the little painted man to hold up. "At Hogwarts, I-" A snore interrupted the sentence as the little man finally nodded off. His snores were loud and a giggle could not help but escape Lenaya's small mouth at the sight of the round painting falling over in his frame. Lenaya sighed and looking into the fire, she decided that the events of the evening were enough for one night and layed down on the floor. Starring into the fire she could have sworn she saw her mother, tall and beautiful, dark and fierce. Her screaming echoed in Lenaya's head.

"_All your fault_! _ALL_!" The shrill voice made her shake involuntarily. "_Crucio_!" Lenaya darted upright, sweat and fear riddled her body with a cold, distant pain. She realized she must have fallen asleep while looking into the flames, for a small blanket was draped around her frail body and a pillow was tucked under her matted head. Looking up she saw a tall dark shape sitting beside her, the black robes pooled around his figure making it difficult to dicier his position on the floor. Snape gazed into the fire, unawares of Lenaya's own eyes on him. His beady dark eyes were glazed over, mixture of concentration and concern painted his pale face, his lips were as white and thin as paper. Lenaya starred at his profile, his hooked nose, his greasy hair, all his features made him an intimidating character indeed. Upon first seeing this man Lenaya became fearful. Yet as she looked at him now, in his eyes, she could see fear itself. She could see pain and grief and, above all she could see sadness. Perhaps he was not as cold-hearted as he had first appeared, perhaps...

Sitting upright, Lenaya pulled the little blanket around her tighter. She too looked into the fire then back up at Snape. "Mr. Snape?" Her voice was small and shy. Snape gave no movement or turn of his head, he simply looked into the fire, the flames castings wicked shadows across his paled features. He did not acknowledge her, yet Lenaya continued, "I'm- I'm sorry that Mr. Dumbledore made you take me in. I know you didn't really want me, I heard the two of you talking in his study." Snape said nothing, just starred into the fire. So Lenaya did the same. Watching the flames dance on the logs she said, "But I promise, Mr. Snape, I will be so good you won't even know I'm here. You won't regret me, Mr. Snape. I promise."

Lenaya sighed a deep air of solitude then lay back down and shut her eyes, somehow feeling comfortable by the morbid man's presence. Falling asleep, whether or not she was conscious enough to decipher what she heard, Lenaya thought she heard a mumble, so quiet, so distant. Yet it was there, whether or not it was a dream she would never know, but she did know that she heard something and what she thought she heard was this, "_Sleep, girl. This is your home now_." She felt an arm brush up against her and smiling, feeling a warm sensation she could only imagine was happiness, she feel into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Six years later...

"Severus! Severus, wake up!" Lenaya yelled up the old stairs. Dust fell from the rafters as movement from above shook them. "Breakfast!" Snape glided down the stairs appearing out of the shadows from the landing. Lenaya sighed at his usual appearance, black robes, blank stare and matted, greasy hair. "Honestly, do you _ever _change your style?" She said turning into the kitchen where the warm, delicious smell of omelets wafted out from and into the rest of the small cottage.

Snape stopped at the foot of the stairs and starring at the nine-year-old walking away he hissed, "No."

Lenaya flipped an egg with a black spatula and poured hot tea into a white mug with the other hand. She concentrated very hard on the food before her and flipped an omelet onto a small plate adjacent the burner and turned the flame off. Snape took his usual seat at the head of the very small wooden table in the center of the small kitchen and began reading the _Daily Prophet _set out perfectly before him. Turning each page with a look of utter disgust he took the tea Lenaya handed him and sipped quietly. She placed the plate in front of him and wiped her hands on a dirty old towel. Looking quite pleased with herself Lenaya pointed at the paper and said, "Now, put that down and eat. You said you would take me to the library today _and _the market. Busy day, busy." Snape rolled his beady eyes and sighed quietly. He folded up the paper starring at Lenaya, unblinking. She smiled and he sighed again picking up the fork next to his plate.

"No breakfast for you this morning then?" Asked Snape as he put small amounts of egg into his mouth. Lenaya cleaned the burner with the dirty wash cloth and sighed as a stained proved to be particularly difficult to be rid of.

"No." Snape shook his greasy head and sighed loudly for her to hear. Lenaya was thin, too thin and Snape found himself hard-prest to think of a day when she had eaten three full meals in one day in all the years she had lived with him. Not even at Hogwarts, when Snape was teaching when he would bring her with him to live in the castle with him for the year. Even after he had made her watch the house elves prepare the food she would not eat but a few bits of it. She claimed Bellatrix had once poisoned several of her meals for being a 'whiny brat' and had then threatened if she ever did worse she would tip a poison that _would_ kill her into her meal or drink. Ever since, Lenaya had been fearful to eat much, even food she herself had cooked.

"You must eat sometime, Lenaya." Snape said picking the paper back up, pretending to read an article on the growth of gravity resistant trees in Nepal. He watched as Lenaya turned around and leaned up against the burner, throwing the wash cloth onto the counter on the other side of the kitchen.

"I eat when it is necessary." Mumbled Lenaya, taking off the greasy apron she wore when cooking. Snape again shook his head and finished his breakfast with deliberate time. Lenaya smiled at his stubbornness and shook her head, her long hair pulled back into a shiny, tight plait which reached down to her waist. "You cannot avoid taking me out today, you _swore_!" Sipping the last bit of tea in his mug, Snape's lip twitched.

"That, I did. However, Lenaya, you must forgive me as I have learned children tend to be expensive and we must retrieve money from Gringotts." Snape said standing and placing his plate into the dirty sink beside Lenaya. She gave a cheeky smile up at him and he in turn softened his expression. After what seemed like forever to Snape, he whipped out his black wand and began cleaning the dishes. "Go and get your robes on, we'll go as soon as your dressed." Snape sighed, with a false defeated air.

Lenaya squeaked with what Snape imagined as joy and threw her arms around the man's waist. Snape huffed with surprise as Lenaya ran from the room up the stairs. "Sorry, didn't mean to hug you!" Yelled Lenaya down the stairs.

Snape sighed, signs of affection were normally cut down to a minimum, of course both were used to little care and they both were accustomed to each other's solitude. Though lately Snape noticed Lenaya becoming more and more attached, little unspoken agreements of emotional distance were broken on a more often occasion, but Snape did not yet know if he disliked the attention. She was a calm girl for the most part, though he did see the sadness, the solitude in her eyes every once in a while, though her inward tears were never spoken.

Over the years Snape came to secretly like the little smiles or jokes about his morbid outlook on life, he seemed to be the source of much of her amusement and he didn't mind one bit. She would often playfully mock his scowl or emotionless stares. He didn't smile, if so it was small but he imagined she saw when he did for she would laugh. Even though he knew she was tortured by her past, she was an outwardly cheery girl who saw Snape's intimidating darkness and laughed. Snape sighed and smiled inwardly.

"It's raining!" Called Lenaya from the foyer. Snape looked up out the grimy window and saw small pearls of water falling onto the glass. He scowled, going out was bad enough without the rain sending wet shivers down his spine. Lenaya popped her head around the corner of the kitchen door, her plait swinging freely. "Come on, I want to go before all the _good _books are taken!" She disappeared back into the foyer while Snape shook his greasy head.

Walking into the foyer Snape grabbed a black scarf and wrapped it around Lenaya's neck. "It's the summer!" She complained trying to take the scarf off with little progress as Snape held it in place tightly.

"It is suppose to be cold today." He said as she ceased her fusing looking playfully cross. "Tell me again, why can't you simply read the books in my study?" He asked, he knew the answer but asked again to wind her up. Lenaya shook her long plait and swung open the ivy-covered door into the light rain.

"_Because_, I have already read all that you _own _remember?" Lenaya said as Snape shook his head with puzzlement.

They walked down the muddy, cobble-stoned street. No muggles were out today, all were inside watching some sports game which Snape had little attention for. He never understood the fascination in kicking a ball around, there was no risk. Muggles and their safety, it was rediculus how sheltered they lived their lives. So many regulations, Snape sometimes wondered if Muggles were to be introduced to the wizarding world if they would all have heart attacks from all the risks and danger. He smiled inwardly as they turned the corner into the alley way.

"You're nine, Lenaya. How is it you can read so fluently already?" Asked Snape when they reached the darkest, most secure area of the alley. They had to be careful, even though there was no one out today, they didn't want to be seen aparating by anyone, not even magical people. Dumbledore had warned Snape to be careful with the girl, it was crucial that her identity was a mystery to all.

Taking Snape's arm tightly, Lenaya answered, "Oh, I guess you taught me well then." A loud _snap _erupted from the alley as the two disappeared into the darkness. Diagon alley, Lenaya smiled looking around then grimaced as the familiar sickening sensation swept through her. The feeling was gone as quick as it came though left her a bit weak as she tumbled into the brick wall next to her. Snape had been right, the day was cold with a biting wind to accompany the chill. She pulled the scarf tighter and wrapped her deep maroon cloak around her.

"Now, stay close," Snape said pulling her away from a sweet shop. "We don't want any accidents." Though the weather was not particularly favourable, there were a fair few of shoppers out today. A hand full of them sparring glances at Snape as he walked down the streets briskly with a child by his side. Over the years, Snape had tried his hardest to keep Lenaya a secret though he had to take her out once in a while and whereas most had become accustomed to seeing the unexplained girl by him, many still saw the pair as an oddity and starring seemed to be better then asking Snape strait out about her.

They walked quietly, Lenaya trying to avoid the curious eyes of onlookers as they turned the corner onto the High Street. Lenaya took an excited breath as the majesty of Gringotts came into view. Snape felt his lip twitch again, "You are so easily impressed with almost everything you see. As though it isn't even real."

"But its so pretty." Lenaya explained gazing about the High Street, into various shops she awed over new brooms and cauldrons in the windows. "Look, look, look!" She demanded, pointing a little finger at the pet shop at a sleeping barn owl. "Oh, they are my favourite!" Snape looked at the creature and frowned, he never liked birds and their piercing eyes.

They walked up the marble steps into the massive bank and through the large ornate doors. Lenaya, though intrigued by most all she saw, found herself nervous around the goblins of Gringotts and stepped closer to Snape's billowing black robes. He, however, looking not afraid, but disgusted, he hated being in Gringotts. To many memories in this vile hall, most during the dark time of his long life. The goblins hobbled by the pair, not sparring any attention like those outside had. Just another bunch of demeaning wand users.

"I have my key, I wish to make a withdrawle." Snape hissed to a particularly grumpy looking goblin behind one of the tall counters. The goblin grunted and stepped down from his pedestal and indicated for the two to follow. He grabbed a lamp from a hook on the wall and they all entered a cart on one of the tracks far behind the desks. After a moment of travel they came to a large door which seemed to have been carved out of the very rock behind it. Onyx black and intimidating, the goblin held out his hand for Snape's key and opened the door. Snape took the key back quickly as the door swung open to reveal a fair pile of both gold and silver. The Prince family fortune. A small yet sustainable sum. Snape reached in and filled a fairly large satchel with the gold coins and nodded to the goblin when he was finished.

"_Now_ can we get my books?" Lenaya asked, ready to leave the presence of the goblins.

"Patience." Sighed Snape as they boarded the cart once more to the hall of Gringotts. Once in the hall Lenaya ran for the door, she tried pushing the heavy wood, but her little arms could not move it at all. Snape glided over, his black robes giving him the impression of walking on smoke. He stopped and waited patiently for Lenaya to cease her pushing and groaning. She looked up into the serious, pale face starring down at her and gave a weak smile. Snape rolled his beady black eyes and pushed the wooden doors open. Lenaya rushed outside into the rain and held her arms out. She opened her mouth trying to catch water droplets, but with no avail.

"How is it it seems to rain everywhere but in your mouth?" Lenaya asked still trying to catch water.

Snape walked on and sighed, "No idea."

Lenaya stopped and continued down the street alongside Snape. She pointed to a large wooden shop with large ornate windows. "There, Waterwands has the _best _books!" She exclaimed and not stoping for Snape to open the door, Lenaya ran infront and flung the door open. She barged in through the crowd of witches and wizards near the counter. Lenaya found a section she prefered and starred at all the books, picking up various hard-backs and reading through several at one time. Snape found her and shook his head.

"Lenaya, I will be across the street if you need me. Here," he handed Lenaya several sickles and left the shop. Lenaya thanked Snape, though she doubted he heard her and continued browsing amungst the books.

Snape crossed the street into a miscellaneous shop. Dumbledore gave him a date on which to celebrate Lenaya's birthday as she did not know herself, and that particular date was advancing upon him quickly. A bell rang as he opened the door to a nearly empty shop. Stepping inside he noticed the drop in temperature, odd, for it was already a cold day as it was. He pulled in his black robes to keep the cool air out and browsed amongst some shelves with little interest at what he was looking at. He saw little that he thought Lenaya would have interest in.

"Well, well, well. Severus Snape." Came a slick, cold voice from behind him. Snape did not need to turn around to know who was standing there. Snape drew in a sharp breath and rolling his beady eyes, prepared himself. He turned around where a smirking, platnum blonde, tall wizard with long black robes stood eyeing him with obvious dislike.

"Lucius Malfoy." Snape said coolly. Malfoy's lip twitched with disgust.

"My, my, what time has done to you. I'm afraid I've found myself rather unlucky as to not have seen you in, what? Nine years?" Malfoy hissed in his pompous, snake-like manner.

"My apologies, Lucius. It must have been utter torture to be parted from my so favorable company for so long." Snape said, his hiss laced with sarcastic venom.

Lucius pulled his wand from his cane sharply, but quietly as to avoid any attention from anyone who might be around. "Silence, traitor!" He held the wand up to Snape's head. "Working at Hogwarts for that _fool _Dumbledore last I heard, you were!"

Snape sneered at the livid, black-clad man. Quickly making up a story in his brilliant mind he said, "Traitor? Whatever are you talking about Lucius?" Malfoy lowered his wand slightly, only slightly. "Surely the Dark Lord has told you of the grand plan?" The wand lowered, a quizical frown replaced the look of hate. "No? How sad?" Malfoy put his wand away sharply and gave a wicked little smile.

"For now, Severus." Malfoy nodded and turned, Snape watched as the vile man left the small little shop. Snape looked around but as he was disinterested before, he now found the objects in the shop to be vile aswell as the man before. Snape left the shop walking out into the rain with no change in mood. He opened the bookstore and entered, again a shop bell rang.

Snape walked to the isle he had left Lenaya in a mere half hour ago. She was not there, though a pile of books on the floor were. Snape looked around, he looked up and down every isle every nook and cranny but Lenaya was nowhere to be seen. She was gone. Panic began to bubble within Snape as he walked out into the streets and couldn't find a sign of her anywhere. He went back into the little shop he had just been in. Perhaps she had gone there to get him but he had not seen her. Again he walked up and down every inch of the little shop but still Lenaya was not there. He left the shop again into the dreadful whether. The rain began to pick up as Snape ran down the now deserted streets looking through the windows of every shop or down the little streets. He looked down every alley way, but still, nothing. Snape stopped and took a breather, he had not run for so long in a while. Then, just louder then the rain and thunder overhead, he heard it. Snape listened, waiting for the noise again.

A small weeping, a sobbing coming from the alley he had yet to look down. Snape walked cautiously down the dark cobblestone way, following the pathetic sound. He heard voices, deep and raspy. No, just one voice, a man. Then, saw shadows behind a skip at the end of the alley, then the loud _snap _of an aparating wizard. The sobbing he had heard earlier was now more discernible without the man's raspy whispers. A girl was crying in the corner. Snape ran behind the skip and stopped. A sickening feeling welled up within his gut, a dreadful sensation of both rage and guilt.

Lenaya, small as she already was, looked so petite behind the dark skip. Tears stained her pretty face as blood dripped from her nose. Her arm was twisted and her robes ripped and torn in various places as though by a knife. she looked so ruined, so small and frail. Snape lunged herself down next to her, placing a hand on her head. She felt hot. Lenaya opened her eyes, they found Snape's dark eyes immediately and a new wave of tears surged forth from the little girl. "Father! I hurt!" She pleaded. Father? _Never_ had she expressed such a connection, _ever_. The sudden realization that he was the one she was calling 'father' left Snape speechless and stunned. However the stun was short-lived as Lenaya's tears brought Snape back to the present. "Father! Father!" Snape responded now, lifting her head into his arms, he rocked her back and forth, cuddling her broken body.

"Its okay, I'm here, Lenaya. I'm here," Snape whispered, again guilt threatened to consume him as a tear attempted to break through his defences. He would not let it through however, he would not show his weakness. "Hold on." Another loud _snap _resinated throughout the alley way as the two aparated from the dark, wet alley way.


	5. Father?

Lenaya Riddle, Darker Secrets

Along with the creation of various dark curses and hexes, Snape had become quite a gifted master of healing spells and counter curses. Lenaya lay in her bed, the maroon covers pulled tight around her little body. Her left arm was held up in a sling suspended at just the right level by magic and her torn clothes were in the corner busy knitting themselves up right. She was fast asleep, her eyes darting rapidly under her eyes lids. Sweat pooled around her head as her fever intensified. Snape sat in a small wooden chair beside her bed and placed a cold, wet cloth on her forehead, hoping to break the cursed sickness. Her nose and other scratches were cured, leaving no scar or sign of their former presence behind. Her arm would be healed in a matter of days as broken bones never had been Snape's speciality. Yet this fever was what worried the potions master. No matter what he did, it never broke.

Lenaya had been mumbling in her sleep and what Snape had heard caused concern to grow in his gut. She had spoken of Bellatrix, of Voldemort but mainly of Dumbledore and of himself. In the few minuets Lenaya had been conscious she had swore that Bellatrix had been the assailant. Snape sighed at the girl's confusion, he knew it could not have been Bellatrix, she had been caught several years ago and to the best of his and the ministry's knowledge, remained in her hellish cell in Azkaban prison. Besides the fact that Snape had heard a man's voice in the alley way. Snape, though normally cold and distant, began to feel a sensation sweep through him every time Lenaya gave a whimper of a cry, a feeling he had not known for a long time.

A loud _snap_could be heard from outside in the front garden and replacing the wash cloth, Snape stood and looked out the window to see Dumbledore pulling out his wand and tapping it against the door three times. He heard the creaking down below and went back to attending to Lenaya's ailment. The door to Lenaya's small room also creaked open as the old headmaster stepped in.

"Severus?" Whispered Dumbledore urgently. "I came as soon as I got the owl. How is she?" Dumbledore conjured a chair from thin air and sat beside Lenaya's bed as well. Giving Lenaya a very small amount of water and magically aiding her in drinking it, Snape sighed and nodded to the girl on the bed. Wasn't his owl and her appearance enough to tell the old man she wasn't well?

"She has not woken up since she feel asleep nearly eight hours ago." Snape said looking at the watch in the shape of a serpent which slithered across his thin wrist. "I have managed to heal her broken nose, and other scratches and bruises. I found a nasty curse within her skin, but was able to eradicate the diseased cells before the sickness could spread. Its just this wicked fever, it just won't break Dumbledore, I have tried everything." Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles and took a closer look.

He grimaced as he lifted up her eye lid. Snape watched intently. Though grew impatient when he asked what the old wizard saw and was given no reply. Instead, Dumbledore reached into his robes for his wand and held it above Lenaya's chest. He made what seemed to be small figure eights around her chest and while doing so, chanted an incantation Snape had never heard before. The language was definitely foreign and the melody sounded to Snape like some form of Celtic of perhaps Gaelic. After what seemed an eternity, Dumbledore stopped. Opening his eyes slowly, Dumbledore sighed and placed a caring hand on the girl's still burning forehead. Snape glanced impatiently between the two.

"Well?" He hissed. Dumbledore looked at the other man with surprise, like he had forgotten he were even in the room.

Dumbledore stood and magiked away the chair he had conjoured. "Lenaya will be fine. I imagine her fever will break within the hour, however she will probobly not awaken for another day or so. Nasty wee bugger she had living in her." Dumbledore shook his silver head.

"What was it?" Snape asked, also standing.

"A very _old_ curse, why someone would use it on our little Lenaya is far beyond me. However it is lucky you should have called, as old as I am, we are _very_ fortunate I was able to remember the counter curse." Dumbledore walked to the door and beckoned Snape to follow, "Come, Severus. I think some nice tea will help to sooth your worries." Dumbledore's willingness for tea at a time like this somewhat irrited Snape, though if he were not so worried about it perhaps it meant she would indeed be well in a very short matter of time. Over the years Snape had learned to simply follow his lead and go along with whatever Dumbledore said for it was more often then not true. Snape sighed and taking one last look at Lenaya, lead Dumbledroe down the stairs and into the dirty kitchen.

They sat and wile the water boiled Dumbledore inspected the room. Every bit and bob was a mystery to him, waiting to be solved. He had never been invited to Snape's home, at least never by Severus himself. Once or twice by his mother though that was a very long time ago, the house had not changed much, however, the state of order had. "Harry is situated at his aunt and uncle's, have I told you?" Dumbledore informed conversationally.

Snape grimaced at the name of the _Potter_ boy and nodded, "You might have mentioned it before."

Dumbledore picked up a small little device and fiddled with it while Snape poured the tea into small white mugs Lenaya had picked out on one of their few jouneys to the market. "Yes, I think he will be just fine Snape so you mustn't worry _too_ much about your debt." Snape cringed slightly, though small enough for it to go unoticed by Dumbledore. "Though I must say, his aunt and uncle are _not_ the friendliest of people, _especially_ not to our kind. Sad really, that he should have to live the way he does with no other family." The two sat and began drinking the tea.

"Yes, quite sad, headmaster. _Quite_..." Smape whispered while taking another sip. He didn't really care for the child's upbringing, rather that no serious harm should come to him. "What about the Weaslys? It is to my understanding the Potters and the Weasly have a small blood connection."

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, the blood connection is thin now and his aunt and uncle were given Harry through James and Lily's will. Besides," Dumbledore sontinued. "I think Arthur and Molly have _enough_ children to care for, don't you?"

"_Potter_." Snape hissed unconciously while sipping more tea. Dumbledore eyed the other man over the rim of his mug and sighed, setting it down and folding his hands.

"Surely you must have _some_ sympathy for the child. After all, his upbringing shall be no different to your own, Severus. We _all_ know how that worked out, don't we?" Dumbledore watched as Snape set his mug down.

"And how _exactly_ will the Potter boy's life connect with my own? I had parents." Snape almost spat at his name but held his tounge infront of the headmaster.

"Did you have parents Severus? Really, I mean?" Dumbledore sighed as he saw Snape's unwillingness to respond. He picked his tea back up and blowing steem from the rim said, "In time Severus, you will see just how similar you are."

"Whatever you say, headmaster." Though Snape doubted he could _ever_ have _any_ connection with a _Potter _other then hate or angst. Dumbledore smiled and held out his mug in cheers, Snape obliged and their pocelin clinked together. They continued their drink in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. Though Snape found his unwillingness to cease prying into other's personal lives an occasional nussiance, he found Dumbledore's wisdom and advice a welcomed old friend. Dumbledore also enjoyed the other's company, Dumbledore enjoyed almost anyone's company with any who saw it wise to listen to him when it became necissary and Dumbledore had comeplete, unshakable trust in Severus Snape.

"No!" Came a sudden scream from up the stairs. The two wizards exchanged glances then putting down their tea, hurried up the stairs, Dumbledore first. They barged into Lenaya's room to find her sitting straight upright, she was panting with fear and sweat. She clenched the wash cloth in her white hands and looked around wildly to see her visitors.

Blinking away sweat and tears she shook her head violently and said weakly, "It- it- it was _her_!" Lenaya burst into tears and Snape rushed to her side almost pushing Dumbledore comepletly. She clung to him and said, "I saw _her_ again, _why_ won't she leave me _alone_, father? _Why_?" Again the use of the word 'father' stunned Snape for a second before he hushed her and layed her bakc down insuring her it was only a dream. She nodded and fell back to a troubled sleep. Snape felt her head, the fever had cooled. He looked at Dumbledore who wore a surprised, yet very cheerful grin.

"'Father'? Well now, Severus, this was something I hadn't anticipated." Snape waved him away, hiding a smile of his own he wore on the inside under his sallow mask.

"I thought you said she would not wake for a day?" Snape demanded.

Dumbledore didn't look troubled as he shrugged and said airly, "Well I did say, 'or so' now didn't I? You must calculate for at least some wrong estimations when dealing with old magic."

Snape sighed and shook his greasy head. "Fine." Dumbledore smiled and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Fairwell, _father_!" Dumbledore said jokingly and aparated before Snape could reprimand him. Snape sighed once more and made a motion as though he were choking the air.


	6. Double Trouble

Lenaya Riddle

The following year was awkward and rocky. 'Father' became a title Snape would have to live with as seeing her uncertainty and distress, he allowed her to call him thus. It was the final year before she would start Hogwarts; however she had only shown the smallest signs of having any magical capability at all, and only when she was angry. Once when she was very upset about Snape not letting her be excused from the dinner table she accidentally flung mashed potatoes across the room, hitting the already dirty window. Another time when she was also angry for not being able to carry all the books Snape wanted down from the attic, she again 'accidently' caught the books on fire and coincidentally, her robes. Snape had grown rather impatient with her lack of control and the bondage between the two seemed to stretch. When they would discus Lenaya's well-being, Dumbledore seemed to place the blame on Snape allowing Lenaya to call him her father and thus taking on the role completely. Then again, Dumbledore also blamed puberty for the unsightly outbursts of anger and emotion.

Though Snape did not blame puberty completely, for he himself remembered being very shut in and quiet during those dreaded years and not remembering once trying to catch his mother on fire. Though he had to admit his father did at times become a bit too much to care for. Dumbledore only smiled and dismissed Snape's concern for it was only a much needed phase in life to rebel against one's parents or guardians. Snape, though knowing Dumbledore was probably right, still became increasingly irritated at Lenaya's shortness of fuse and willingness to arson as she continued to catch alight the objects causing her annoyance or anger. His real concern was not for the meaningless trinkets in the household, but for Lenaya's own well-being, her lineage became a constant worry for him. What would happen if Lenaya became as angry and power-driven as her mother and father before her? He was afraid he would not be able to keep her on the right path should the conflict ever arise. This too Dumbledore waved away, it was the upbringing and parenting that the two dark beings had had which drove them to be the menaces they were today. Though Snape had many doubts, Dumbledore showed great faith and trust in Snape's parenting skills as every time Dumbledore were to visit the Snape house, Lenaya was always very calm and polite and only offered her opinion when asked for it. Snape did admit her anger was reserved for little things and on occasion and she spent most of her time in her room reading or trying to come up with new recipes for dinner. The incident in Diagon alley seemed to have little long-lasting affect on her for she was willing to accompany Snapewhenever he left the house. However he was more inclined to think about bringing her along and more often would just leave her at the house and have her give him a list as to what to get her. She never did fit an accurate description of her assaulter and after a while began to not even talk if Snape should bring up the unfortunate subject.

Whereas Snape had concerns for his 'daughter', Dumbledore would often express worry for the Potter boy, Harry. Though Snape had no interest whatsoever in his well fair, he had not the heart to discuss his own concern then block out Dumbledore's. So he listened whenever Dumbledore seemed worried for the young Potter and his focus on the boy seemed to become stronger and stronger as the year before both Lenaya and Harry should attend Hogwarts grew to a close.

Waring jeans and a black T-shirt with her maroon cloak, Lenaya sat on Snape's desk in his dungeon office while he graded last minuet essays and extra credit assignments he had so unbelievably allowed several students to submit. "So, anyways," Lenaya said, taking a bite from a green apple a house-elf had given her. "When will we go and get my things?" She ate noisily and fiddled with the odd assortment of trinkets on Snape's desk. Snape sighed and continued grading rolls of parchment with a look of annoyance. "What the bloody Hell _is_ that, dad?" Lenaya pointed at a large, glowing green jar with a suspended dead thing within. She had asked on several occasions as to what it was but Snape had always replied the same.

"I will tell you later. Lenaya, really, I must grade these atrocities." Snape said, brushing back long greasy stands of hair. Lenaya looked down at the massive pile of parchment. She looked back up at Snape's annoyed expression and hopped down from the corner of the desk. Just then a knock came at the dark door. Snape sighed, "What now?" Looking up he said louder, "Enter."

Two second year boys came through the door with a certain swagger about them. They both were tall and sported shocking red hair and freckles. Lenaya held in a giggle as Snape sighed and looked almost as though he had had enough and was ready to give in for the day. The identical twins walked up to the desk, both with a wide grin and handed in also identical looking rolls of parchment.

"I seriously regret letting you hand in extra credit work this term. Thank you, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley." Snape said swipping the parchment from the grinning boys. One of the twins looked ove at Lenaya and gave a sheepish looking smile. Lenaya smiled back with amusment in her blue eyes.

"Thanks professor!" The two said simultaniously. Snape shook his head and waved them off.

"If that is all you want, I ask you lea-" Snape started but was interupted by cries from the hall.

"Professor Snape! Professor Snape!" Yet another tall, bright ginger came in waving a roll of parchment in the air. His freckles stood out on his pale face, he wore glasses and his robes, unlike his two other brothers', were perfectly allaigned and fitted. Snape lowered his head onto his hand as Percy ran to his desk, almost tripping on one of his shoelaces which seemed to have come undone within the last second. Percy looked down at his shoelace then scowled at the twins who were hiding chuckles from under their robes. Both Percy and Snape sighed with irritation and the twins took the oppertunity to escape the dungeons. Lenaya watched as the one who smiled at her turned and waved smally before running up the stairs.

"Here, professor. Everything you asked for for next weeks homework." Percy handed Snape the roll of parchment with a smug grin of acheivment and pride. Snape sneered at the sight of extra work and took the parchment.

"Mr. Weasley, must you over-acceed at _everything_?" Percy smiled and walked out of the room, he nodded at Lenaya on his way. Lenaya had become somewhat like a house ghost. Everyone knew _of_ her, though few had taken the time to know her name or her herself. The twins seemed to like her as she always seemed to have to surpress giggles whenever they were in potions with Snape. This, to Snape's irritation, only seemed to encourage the twins in their antics.

Snape continued with his work when Percy had left and waved Lenaya away when she asked if she could leave as well. Lenaya ran up the stairs, escaping the dark, dank dungeons. Once in the viaduct entrance she found herself to be completely wet. Several exploding water bombs had been set just outside the entrance to the dungeons and a few had exploded on her. She looked up as a pair of amused groans came from the stairs above. The twins were looking down at her laughing. She shook her wet arms and grinned back up at them. "What exactly was that for?" She said and the twins came down the stairs. One pulled out his wand and dryed her thuroughly.

"Well," said one of them. She found it rathe difficult to see the difference between the two. "We did set them for Percy. A few went off when he walked by,"

"But not as many as you set off!" Laughed the other. "We kept them here for Snape."

"Didn't think you would come up first though." Explained the first twin. "I'm George." He held out a hand and smiled, he was the one who had waved at her before.

"Fred." Fred held out his hand aswel and the both of them shook both of her hands at the same time. She laughed and tried her hardest to find a small difference between the two to help her figure out which one was which for future reference.

"Lenaya, we met before but in Snape's class." She found one, George's eyes were a tad bit lighter then Fred's and as the two were never apart, she figured it would be easy to tell the difference.

"Yeah, your the girl who always laughed at our potions!" Fred exclaimed. Lenaya laughed and nodded.

"Yep, that's me alright." Lenaya said, laughing.

"So, why are you always hanging around that old plonker anyways?" Fred asked smiling.

Lenaya shrugged, she had never told anyone he was her 'father' and she didn't think Snape wanted the news to spread either. Apart from a few teachers and Dumbledore of course, no one knew. "Its complicated."

"What isn't?" George replied.

George shrugged but Fred still held a quizzical grin, "How old are you? I've seen you the last two years but you aren't ever in the corridors-"

"-or in any other lessons." Fred finished his brother's query.

Lenaya grinned at the two identical faces, something about them just made her happier, "I'm going into my first year next term! Maybe I'll even be in your house, Griffindor right?" Lenaya said sliding George's red robes through her fingers. George smiled slightly and Fred exclaimed happily.

"Our little brother is going into his first year next term too! Maybe you two will get along, that'll be good for his morale." Fred and George laughed.

"The boy eats like a starved giant! But I doubt you'll be in Griffindor if you keep hanging around the head of Slytherin," George said pointing somewhere down the stairs to the dungeons.

"But you do have the required sense of humour to be a Griffindor so the odds are in your favour." Fred said joking. All three smiled.

"So what lesson should you two have now? Your not skipping again are you?" Lenaya asked, she had seen the twins on various occasions hexing suits of armour and causing mayhem for Snape and other professors while they were suposed to have been in lessons. Once when they were supposed to be in potions, Lenaya had been sent to fiind them, she wondered the halls and returned pretending as though they had simply disappeared altogether.

"Actually, this is time we were supposed to have taken to go to Hogsmead but with the whether-" George started.

"Terribly dreadful it is." Fred fininshed.

Lenaya nodded, "Typical British whether though." They smiled, but the small conversation was cut short as a bellow from the dungeons revirbirated up the stairs like a ghost.

"Lenaya!" Snape called. Lenaya rolled her eyes and smiling waved goodbye at the grinning twins.

"That's my que! Bye guys!" They said their goodbyes and Lenaya rushed down the stone steps, leaving the twins to gather the few bombs which had refused to explode on either one of their targets. She skipped through the heavy wooden entrance to the potions room to find an agrivated and exhausted Severus Snape holding his head in his hands and looking as though he might pull his greasy hair out all at once. Lenaya found humour in his appearence and smiling asked, "You need something?"

Snape sighed and looked up at Lenaya grinning at him, "Go and find Minerva, I need more parchment and ink." Snape waved her away and continued to mutter something about 'wretched homework' and 'never again'. Lenaya shook her long plait and hopped up the stairs. Gracefully skipping and across the castle, she ran into several first and second years who weren't able to go to Hogsmead. She would wave and smile, most would wave back, though half-heartedly as no one really knew who she was. She skipped up to the first floor and across the suspension bridge to the Transfiguration courtyard. Several Slytherins were under and around the large tree, but other then that no one was in the courtyard. The Slytherins left her alone, hanging around Snape all the time did have its perks. She watched them converse amongst themselves, some practising charms, others laughing together. She wondered what it must be like to have friends. Other then Snape, Dumbledore and the twins she hardly knew anyone else. McGonagal was nice, but elderly and rather mother like. Not someone for an almost eleven year old to be friends with.

She opened the transfiguration door and knocked. "Enter." Came the high accented voice. Lenaya smiled up at the witch, she had a class of first-years and beckoned Lenaya to close the door behind her. "Now, students, one more time. Remember to anounciate very clearly." The children continued murmuring a spell McGonagall had just taught them. Several children were able to transform their quil into a whistle, however the majority were unsuccesful. Some quils turned to stone, several exploded. Lenaya made her way cautiously to McGonagal, aweing at the magis as she walked by. She couldn't wait to get her own wand. "Yes, Lenaya?" The transfiguration teacher asked when she walked up.

"Oh, Professor Snape needs some ink and parchment. Right terrible state he's got himslef into." Lenaya said taking a pile of parchment. McGonagall sighed.

"Well it should teach him right after all. Allowing pupils to give in extra credit at the end of term, a death sentence to any teacher, if you ask me." Lenaya laughed.

"Thank you professor, I'll be sure to pass along the good advice." Laughed Lenaya waving at the teacher while she walked to the door.

"Be sure that you do." McGonagall called after her. Lenaya smiled back and shut the door behind her. She looked around the courtyard, the Slytherins had left. How odd, thought Lenaya. She turnned left and walked down the empty courtyard corridor. She opened the door to the bridge and found her missing Slytherins, and the red haired twins. Oh no, Lenaya thought.

The Slytherins were all fourth years, the twins in their second year. Lenaya shook her head and sighed, she placed the parchment and ink down at the door and walked briskly up to the semi-circle the Slytherins had formed around the two younger Griffindors. They were joking and smirking, laughing at the twins expense. One held their wand out and was making a red ooze come out of George's nose. Another cast a tickle charm on Fred who rolled on the floor laughing uncontrollably. The effects of such a spell were not horrible but could end up being rather painful if let for a while. Lenaya walked behind one of the shorter fourth-years and tapped his shoulder. The laughing Slytherin turned and suddenly wished he hadn't for Lenaya's full strength wasset on one giant punch into his nose. The Slytherin yelled out in both pain and surprise. He fell backwards, blood pouring from his nose. The other Slytherins turned to their attacker but stopped when they saw who it was. "Come on let's go!" Said one Slytherin who was helping the bleeding one up. They all ran away, they didn't dare strike their Head of house's pet. The curses ceased as soon as they had left, leaving the twins gasping for air, especially Fred. Lenaya helped George up then Fred.

"What were you doing, honestly?" Lenaya said brushing off some dirt from Fred's robes. Lenaya went to retrieve her parchment and ink and came back to the abnormally pale Weasleys.

"Well, see-" Started Fred.

"What had happened was-" George attempted to explain themselves but Lenaya interupted the pair with an amused yet cross stare.

"You numpties, you probobly thought you could get away with 'inconspicuously' hexing a Slytherin then got the whole lot of them on you, huh? Is that what happened?" The two looked sheepish and noether replied. Lenaya shook her head and handed each a pair of ink bottles. "Well, at least help me carry these down to Professor Snape."

The trio walked across the bridge and through the castle. They joked and laughed the whole way to the dungeons, they waved to Lee Jordan who seemed to be very lucky with a Hufflepuff girl in the first floor corridor. When they reached the viaduct entrance George pointed to a portrait beside a bookshelf and said to Lenaya, "You know, instead of going to conveentional way, you could always use the hundreds of Hogwarts secret passageways." Fred froowned and hit his brother.

"Secret passageways?" Lenaya asked.

"Well their not going to be secret for much longer if George keeps shouting out about them." Fred said giving his brother a look. George rubbed his arm and stuck out his tounge.

Lenaya laughed at the pair, "Its alright, I won't tell anyone I swear." They two studied her then smiled and accompanied her down the narrow, stone steps into the dungeons. The dungeons were characteristacally empty except the occasional groan or sound of crumpled parchment hitting a stone wall. Lenaya held the door open with her back and knocked on the wood, letting Fred and George in holding the ink and some parchment.

"Enter." Snape groaned without looking up. Fred and George placed the ink gingerly on the irritated professor's desk and stepped back quietly. Lenaya shook her head at their reactions to his abnormally shortness of fuse and too placed the pile of parchment she had carried. "Never, again, Lenaya. Never!" Snape groaned and wadded up another peice of parchment and tapped it with his wand litting on fire. The paper burned in mid-air reflecting his temper. Seeing the poor innocent parchment, the twins waved at Lenaya and disappeared back out of the room. Lenaya waved and surpressed a giggle. She knew why people found Snape to be intimadating, she also found it humorous. Especially when he would be teaching, his morbid and demening methods caused Lenaya to hold back giggles and smirks. He had always acted so dark and humorless around his pupils but she knew him and knew that wasn't all he was.

As she watched Snape return to scribbling and marking out wrong answers Lenaya remembered what the twins had said earlier and a question formed in her rapidly over-active mind. The words came from her mouth before she could stop them, "What house to you want me to be in, dad?" She grabbed the tea in the air that Snape had conjored a moment before hand and sipped quietly. Snape, too recieved his mug and without looking at Lenaya sipped.

"I have no choice in the matter however my family has been in Slytherin for ages. Slytherin house values ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness. This doesn't mean the other houses aren't exceptible, Hufflepuff values hard work, loyalty, tolerance, and fair play. Ravenclaw values intelligence, learning, and wit. And then there is _Griffindor_ who values courage, bravery, daring, nerve and chivalry." Snape waved his free hand absentmindedly as he spoke and graded wit the other hand. "I believe you hold qualities from all the houses so where you go is really up to your wishes." Lenaya studied Snape over the top of her mug and sipped slowly. This wasn't exactly the reaction she had anticipated. Though he did explain Griffindor's qualities quietly and with slight venom though still fairly.

She sat on the corner of the desk, the only free surface she could find. Sipping her tea she said quietly, "But, you don't _want_ me in Griffindor, do you?" Snape stopped writing and sighed. He looked up at her and black met blue.

"I once knew a _brilliant_ woman in Griffindor. She proved to me the house wasn't _too_ bad, you _can_ be smart and be in Griffindor I suppose." He shrugged, "Now, whether or not that is a _constant_ case..."

"What do you think I'll be in?" Snape looked back into her eyes.

"Are you afraid of where you will be placed Lenaya?" She didn't answer and simply sipped her tea. "The way things look for you, the chances of you being in Slytherin are very high. _I_ was in Slytherin, everyone in your _family tree_ has been in Slytherin, well except for a couple of your cousins..." He went back to grading and Lenaya looked stricken.

"You knew my family?" Lenaya asked.

"Well, I knew _some_ of your family, I went to school with Bellatrix and a few of your cousins." Snape said dsitastefully. Lenaya could tell he had no interest in her lineage. Obviously some of her family had done something to cause Snape some distress in the past.

Lenaya, though she had always hated her family and knew she had every right to, wanted to learn more and asked, "Who were my cousins?"

Snape frowned, "Sirius Black, Draco Malfoy, Nymphadora Tonks, Regulas Black, and so on and so forth, your family is pure-blood and so you have many people in your tree. Thus, why Dumbledore and I think you will be in Slythern, all of them have been. Exccept for Sirius and Nymphadora." Snape spat out Sirius' name and Lenaya didn't dare ask why.

"What house were they in?" She didn't want to be in Slytherin, though she would not tell Snape that. She knew he would be very proud if she were in Slytherin though she didn't want anything to have in common other then blood with her family and even then she dipised their link.

Snape sneered, "Griffindor." Though the venom from Snape's response stung, the relief was lucky to go unnoticed by him as he continued with his grading. She had seen many Slytherins and found she hadn't liked any of them, some were agreeable yet none were people she would ever find herself being particularly good friends with. Her only friends were, as of yet, the twins and they were in Griffindor house. Though, as she thought about it a crashing sense of realization hit her, her whole family, except a major total of two, had been in Slytherin. Her father was, by all accounts, the heir to Slytherin himself, making her the founders very own flesh and blood. Even her gaurdian had been in Slytherin, was the Head of Slytherin! Dumbledore and Snape were right, all the odds pointed to her being placed in Slytherin. Yet, Lenaya kept hope, there _were_ two people in her family she _knew_ had been in Griffindor and Snape _did_ say it was ultimatly _her_ choice... Maybe...


	7. Distant Scars

Lenaya Riddle

"Diagon Alley! Diagon Alley! Diagon Alley!" The eleven-year-old Lenaya chanted swinging herself down the semi-dusted banister. She sang her happy melody with a broad grin all around the house and into the kitchen where Snape sat and sipped his tea. He looked like he was almost smiling as Lenaya pulled at his black robes and chanted loudly, "Diagon Alley, Diagon Alley!" He placed his tea down shakily from Lenaya's pulling and stood. Lenaya had received her acceptance letter yesterday, it had been carried, much to Snape's dislike by a perfectly groomed barn owl which hyped Lenaya up even further. She had been circling the garden the running up and down the stairs singing ever since.

Snape, though a teacher at the school, was anxious and ready to wait as long as possible to go to Diagon Alley; but as school was going to start soon and Snape did need to be there earlier then the students, he knew that they should go today. Much, also, to his displeasure. As Lenaya continued bouncing around while Therlious clapped along in time, Snape whipped out his wand and said, "Calmnisity." Lenaya calmed and ceased her bouncing and singing. Therlious looked somewhat disappointed. "Now, let me see your list." Snape held out his hand expectantly. Lenaya had been carrying the list around with her every second since she had received it and now retrieved it from her left breast pocket and unfolded it. She placed it into his hand with a cheeky grin. Snape's lip twitched. He looked at the list and read it out loud, each item making Lenaya's grin wider, "_First year students will require: _Three sets of plain work robes, one plain pointed hat for day wear, one pair of protective gloves, dragon hide or similar. One winter cloak. Black, silver fastenings. _All students should have a copy of each of the following: _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk_ A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot_ Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling_ A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch_ One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore_ Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger_ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scamander_ The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble. _Other Equipment, 1 wand 1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) 1 set glass or crystal phials 1 telescope 1 set brass scales. Students may also bring and owl, cat or toad." Snap read out the last sentence slowly and quickly as though Lenaya had not already read that she were allowed a pet.

"An owl, dad! An owl!" The calm enchantment wore off as Lenaya returned to jumping around in excitment. Snape sighed and rolled his eyes. Not an owl.

"Calmnisity." Snape said now more sternly. Lenaya fell silent and looked up at Snape in eager expectation. "Get your things." Snape said slowly and very quietly. He winced as Lenaya squealed and flung her arms around him. She ran to the foyer and returned seconds later with her maroon cloak flipped over her face. She spun it back and exclaimed she was ready. Therlious snickered above the fireplace, receiving a cold glare from the potions master.

Two hours later, Lenaya was a walking library, all that could be seen were her feet below a stack full of books for school. Snape carried robes and a cauldron which he had picked out himself as he knew almost everything needed in a good cauldron. Snape had argued for several very long minutes about the value of said cauldron but eventually won out getting the price reduced by half, much to Lenaya's admiration. They walked down the alley, once again getting queer looks from several passersby. Snape ignored them or sent spin-tingling glares towards them, whereas Lenaya would simply smile and wave. The odd couple received ever more odd looks and pondering gazes but were never confronted.

"Hey o' Professo' Snape!" Came a booming call from behind them. Snaperecognized the voice and slowly turned around to greet his half-giant acquaintance, Lenaya beamed up at Hagrid putting her books down. A small, skinny boy with black messy hair and glasses which had been tapped together, walked beside Hagrid looking even smaller next to the huge man. Lenaya had never seen the boy before but he smiled at her and she at him, a first year, Lenaya concluded. "'Arry, this will be your potions mast'r, Professor Snape." Hagrid raised a massive hand to Snape. "Snape, this is 'Arry Potter, though I bet you already knew tha'!" Harry held out a small hand and smiled at Snape who in turn sneered at the poor boy.

Harry slowly withdrew his hand looking slightly scared, "I have." Lenaya looked up at Snape confused at his cold bitterness. She shook her plait and smiled at the boy, holding up her hand. Harry shook her hand and smiled back meekly.

"Don't mind him, didn't finish his tea this morning." Harry's smile grew but no teeth showed as he was so nervous around the taller dark man. "I'm Lenaya, Harry Potter. I'm a first year too!" Harry grinned.

"Brilliant!" He said and Snape glowered down at him quietly. Harry's grin disappeared.

"Right, well, got to go, got o' lot o' stuff to get for his first 'ear! Good day, Professor. Lenaya." Lenaya waved at Hagrid and then smiled and waved at Harry. He waved back meekly and followed the giant, shrinking under his massive shadow.

Lenaya, once they were out of sight, turned on Snape and began slapping him with a book. "What- the- bloody- Hell- was- that- about?!" She said hitting Snape between every word. she stopped an pulled strands of hair from her mouth, "He was _scared_ you plonker and you _had _to put the whole scary, intimidating professor mask on _didn't_ you? Honestly, you're _such _a child sometimes!" Snape took the book from her hands like a striking cobra and indicated for her to pick up her books.

"Says the girl who was just dancing around the house not three hours ago singing about owls." Snape hissed and Lenaya shot a look of pure defiance. Snape raised his eye brow but said nothing and walked on ahead. Lenaya stuck her tongue out and proceeded to follow Snape down the alley way. "Go pick one out." Snape pointed into a animal shop reluctantly and rolled his eyes.

Lenaya looked between the shop and Snape and smiled, though utterly confused, "An owl?"

"Before I change my brilliant mind." Lenaya smiled and placed her books at his feet and waltzed into the shop.

"Again, Severus?" Came a slick, cold voice from behind Snape, "How nice to see you again." Snape turned and smiled slickly back at Lucius. He looked down at Snape's feet then at his arms and saw the school equipment. Question laced his eyes and he asked, "Charity work, Severus?" A younger, shorter platinum blond boy with slicked back hair came from around his father and smiled at Snape with obvious dark admiration.

"Hello, Lucius. Draco." Snape said looking between the two respectively. Just then the shop bell rang and a bouncy, happy blue eyed Lenaya came from the shop with a broad grin and a large cage. Inside the cage was a beautiful barn owl with ice blue eyes. Lenaya stood beside Snape and looked at the two men before them. Snape put his arm around Lenaya, his hand gripping her shoulder tightly. "This is Lenaya. My ward." Snape said the last bit loudly before Lenaya could say 'daughter'. "This is Lucius Malfoy." Lucius eyed Lenaya suspiciously and Lenaya did the same, she could have sworn she had seen him somewhere before, a long time ago. Draco grinned and held out his pale hand.

"Draco Malfoy, charmed to meet you." His voice was slick and confident just like his father's as he shook Lenaya's hand in what she could only have guessed was a flirtatious manner.

Lenaya was a bit taken aback and replied half-heartedly, "Pleasure." Lucius and Snape exchanged glances, Snape slightly worried, Lucius was arrogantly confident. Lucius also took lenaya's hand and shook it slightly.

"Pardon me," He griped her hand tighter and pulled her out of Snape's grasp. "But you look so familiar." Lenaya pulled back, she smiled sarcastically.

"As do you." Snape feared the past would be revealed, did Lucius see Bellatrix in her? Snape had, over the years, seen a strong resemblance to her mother within her and feared that maybe Lucius would now see it too. Snape gripped Lenaya and dug his fingers into her shoulder so tightly his knuckles turned even whiter then normal. Lenaya felt it but showed no sign of pain, she knew his tense composure meant something.

"Yes well, Lenaya pick up your things. We must be going- No I insist." He said as Lucius opened his mouth to oppose them leaving so quickly. Draco smiled at Lenaya and she returned the favor awkwardly. The two left quickly leaving the Malfoys outside the animal shop alone. They got to the Leaky Cauldron where Lenaya turned to Snape.

"Who were they?" She seamed distressed and her expression made Snape slightly uncomfortable. "I _know _that man." Lenaya pointed frantically back where they had came. Snape had never really talked about the former Death Eaters to her before and didn't really want to either. Lenaya had shown sever dislike for those who bore the Dark Mark on their left arm and she didn't have any idea that Snape had been branded. He feared if he would divulge in her past, his would ruin their relationship forever. Yet the look in her little blue eyes, not unlike Dumbledore's, unnerved the man; he sighed.

"That was Lucius Malfoy, he-" Snape lowered his voice and continued uncomfortably. "He _was _a servant to the Dark Lord years ago." Lenaya snarled, she looked vicious and Snape knew right then and there that telling Lenaya about his past would be a horrible mistake. Snape looked guilty and couldn't help but feel a little smaller as she breathed harder and walked up and down in a small line.

"I knew I've seen him, he used it, you know." Lenaya was on the verge of shouting but didn't want to draw attention but she couldn't hold it in as the words tumbled from her lips, "HE USED THE CRUTIATOUS CURSE ON ME!" Snape's mouth dropped and so did Lenaya. She fell to the floor and began to cry. Snape looked around and no one was there, he grabbed Lenaya by her now dampened robes and pulled her to her feet. She didn't fight back but she continued crying as Snape tapped the stone wall and walked her into the Leaky Cauldron's main room. He gave a dark look to the barkeep and was given a key to a room without question. They walked briskly up the stairs into a small room with two little beds. It was dusty yet cleaner then Prince Cottage as Lenaya sat on the corner of the bed closest the grimy window.

Snape closed the door slowly and lingered, he didn't know how exactly to approach this. She was sitting there looking as vulnerable as she had that horrible rainy day and he couldn't bare to see her like that again but he knew he would have to turn around eventually. He slid his hand down the rough wooden door and whispered, "Lucius, he used the... the... crutiatous curse, on you?" Lenaya sucked in harsh air and forced herself to stop shaking. She refused to let the tears fall anymore and Snape, with a guilty plunge in his gut, saw in her the same fear and unwillingness to show that fear or pain or sadness, or any weakness. He saw what he saw in himself and it was unnerving, he watched as she withdrew and in that moment he knew a part of her had gone, it was hidden now, deep beneath her fear of showing fear. He walked over to her and reached out timid and gently. She flinched away at his touch and he withdrew but then sat close to her on the edge of the little bed. His robes billowed around the feet of the bed and he looked at her profile. Her face dried but she looked cold, he felt sad and worried. He was scared that in that single moment she had grown years and there was nothing he could have done to prevent it, something inside her just snapped. He sighed and wrapped her arm around her. A knock came at the door and a raged witch came in with all of the things they had left outside. She placed them in the corner and left quickly not liking the look Snape was giving her. "I- I'm sorry." He pulled away a strand of hair from her face and pulled her chin so their eyes met.

He looked into her deep ice blue eyes and said with the most sincerity and truth he could muster, "Never. _Never_ again will _anyone_ _ever_ hurt you. I won't let it happen, _ever_ again. Do you understand?" He searched her eyes and thought he saw something but it was gone in an instant. She sighed.

Lenaya nodded and tucked her head under Snape's chin. He pulled her in closer and stroked her plait running down her petite back. "I'm sorry I got out of hand. It won't happen again." Lenaya whispered into his black robes.

"Shh, it's okay." Then Snape did something he thought he would never do; he tilted his chin and gently kissed her head. The sudden urge caught him off guard and the fact that obeyed that urge stunned him even further; but he recovered and patted her head awkwardly and realized how much it really did hurt him to see her in so much pain, even if it was pain from a long time ago.


	8. The Leaky Cauldron

Lenaya stood admiring her new black robes in the tall dusty mirror beside her bed. She held out her arms and flung the loose fabric with a wide grin. Snape had left her in the Leaky Cauldron not two days ago to go to Hogwarts. He was a teacher and though he had asked Dumbledore to let him stay with Lenaya and see her off on the Hogwarts Express, Dumbledore had said no and so Snape had left reluctantly. He had left Lenaya a map and strict instructions as how to get to King's Cross Station and to platform 9 3/4 the day he left and had, not to Lenaya's knowledge, asked Tom, the barkeep, to keep an eye on her while she was staying. Lenaya had not ventured from the inn, rather she spent most of her time reading her school books in the inn's common room.

Lenaya had read her Defense Against the Dark Arts school book through cover to cover already and had started reading her charms book which she found slightly less enjoyable. Feeling hungry she set aside her robes and books and walked down the stairs to the bar room. In the room were few people, several witches babbled in the corner next to the fire and a wizard sat at the bar alone drinking a tall firewhisky though Lenaya thought it was surely too early in the day. Tom waved and smiled as she sat on a tall bar stool. She took out a galleon and asked for a bowl of french onion soup. Tom took the money and poured her a bowl generously. As she sipped the soup in silence the bar door opened and in came a girl with bushy brown hair and bright brown eyes which looked around in awe. Behind her came a man and a woman who also looked around the inn with wild eager eyes. The woman also had brushy brown hair and her and the girl greatly resembled each other. To Lenaya they looked very odd for their clothing was very peculiar. They wore denim and T-shirts with no robes or cloaks or anything she would have seen people waring normally. The girl too was dressed oddly and Lenaya guess they were muggles.

"Ah, Miss Granger." Said a witch from the fire place. She walked over to the three and grinned warmly wrapping her arm around the girl. "How good to see you." She shook the other two's hands. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, this is an inn for witches and wizards and also serves as an entrance from the muggle world into Diagon Alley where young Hermione can purchase her things for her first year at Hogwarts!" The witch exclaimed. Personally, Lenaya thought the witch did a good job at making everything seem all very exciting. The parents seemed to think so as well as they beamed around the inn. Lenaya followed the four people as they walked into the broom closet which lead to the alley. The witch opened the passage with 'oohs' and 'aws' from the three others. Lenaya had never seen a muggle before and was very curious so followed behind the others slowly studying their reactions and movements.

The witch brought the two parents into the middle of the alley and showed them around. As the three were distracted by what was around them, they hadn't noticed as Hermione had wondered away from the group and gone into the pet store Lenaya had bought her owl, which she had named Adiemus. Lenaya followed the girl into the shop. Hermione was so intrigued by a cage full of multi-coloured pigmy puffs she did not notice Lenaya walking up to her at all.

"Hi." Hermione jumped and turned to see an outstretched hand before her. She took the hand slowly and smiled back at the grinning girl who seemed very interested in her sleeves. "I'm Lenaya, are you a muggle?" Hermione looked slightly confused.

"Erm, a what?" Lenaya raised an eye brow but explained.

"None-magic person. Though I suppose seeing as you're going to Hogwarts you would be a witch wouldn't you." Lenaya said conversationally.

"Erm, yeah. It's my first year. I'm Hermione Granger. Are you going to Hogwarts too?" Hermione asked looking at Lenaya's new robes.

Lenaya nodded enthusiastically. "My first year too!"

"Excellant!" Hermione grinned, Lenaya noticed her two front teeth were slightly larger then normal. Hermione turned back to the furry little beings in the cage and asked, "So, what are these then?"

Lenaya stuck her hand through the top of the cage and pulled out a purple one and let it climb onto Hermione's shoulder. It nuzzled at her cheek and squeaked contently. Hermione giggled and so did Lenaya, "Their called pigmy puffs. Completely harmless. Just little pets for witches or wizards. I got an owl the other day!" Lenaya exclaimed proudly. Hermione looked stunned and grinned.

"An owl? Wow, I wish I could get an owl!" Lenaya grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her to where the owls were sleeping or hooting in their large cages. "Wow!" Hermione said sticking her finger into a cage as the owl nibbled playfully.

"Why can't you?" Lenaya asked.

"Well, the witch out there said that we need to transfer some of our 'muggle' money into wizard money so we can buy my school books and well I don't think my parents would be very happy about using _more _money to get me an owl. Its not exactly normal is it?" Lenaya looked confused but didn't ask questions. "I'm so excited about going to Hogwarts! I didn't know anything about any of this until a man with long bright robes came to our door! It was rather comical actually, my parents thought he was a lost beggar or something! He explained everything, I always _knew_ I was odd, I mean, I could make odd things happen and-"

"Well, you're not _odd_! I can make things happen, we all can. That doesn't make us odd, I like to think of it as special." Lenaya said.

Hermione smiled, "Yeah, we're special."

"So how did your parents take it? I'm guessing their muggles right?" Lenaya asked rather curious.

Hermione nodded, "Yes. They were, at first really skeptical but then they saw Dumbledore do a spell and they have been really curious ever since. They aren't acting all skeptical or negative anymore. I could have _sworn _they were going to ask Dumbledore if _they_ could go to Hogwarts at one point in the conversation." Hermione laughed.

"So Dumbledore came to your house to explain things then? Wow. He's one of the greatest wizards of all time. Fabulous sorcerer, he is." Lenaya explained and Hermione's eyes widened. "So what did he do?"

"Oh, he transported us all to the pyramids in an instant! It was fascinating!" Hermione exclaimed.

"That's called aparating, we'll learn all about that kind of stuff at Hogwarts." Lenaya said.

"Wicked." Hermione said, just then the shop bell rang and in came her parents and the witch who looked somewhat frantic.

"Hermione!" Said her father, "Why did you run off? Stay with us, please." Hermione nodded and apologized. She held a hand out to Lenaya.

"Mum, dad, this is Lenaya. She's going to Hogwarts too!" The witch looked down at her oddly, obvious someone who had seen her walking with Snape. Hermione's parents smiled kindly and shook her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Lenaya, where are your parents?" Hermione's mum asked looking around. She looked very curious though at the same time rather frightened by the odd sort of creatures behind bars squealing and hooting.

"Oh, my dad works at the school. He left, I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron until tomorrow when we catch the train to Hogwarts. I'm really excited!" Lenaya exclaimed though Hermione's parents looked slightly skeptical to hear that a parent had left their daughter alone in London. "I could show you how to get to the train if you like?" Lenaya said circling the two muggles looking them up and down fascinated. "I've never seen a muggle before," she pulled at theirjeans. "Fascinating." She muttered, Hermione giggled and the parents smiled, though a bit confused.

"Well, that would be very helpful dear, thank you. So your father works at the school then? Well, that must be helpful." Hermione's mother said and laughed at Lenaya's obvious curiosity.

"Well, I guess. Though I suppose he's going to be even harder on me. I mean he's not the type of man to give his child free slack, but I'm sure it'll be fine." Lenaya said poking her belt as though it would snap up at strike at any moment.

"Right," said the witch behind them. "We do have much to get done today, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, if you don't mind." The witch indicated toward the door and the two nodded.

"Nice meeting you." They said and smiling, walked out the shop door.

Hermione smiled at Lenaya and shook her hand excitedly, "Bye, I'll see you tomorrow then!"

Lenaya smiled and waved goodbye as she ran out the door into the alley with her parents. Lenaya took the pigmy puff Hermione had handed her before leaving and placed it gently into its cage and stroked it carefully. It squealed and flipped. Lenaya giggled. She left the shop and skipped back down the alley and into the Leaky Cauldron. The passage way had opened up by itself to let her through as she did not know what to do with her wand yet. Once in the common room she slipped her wand out from under her robes and began absentmindedly waving it around. She sat in a large comfy arm chair starring into the fire and it was several minuets before she realized her wand waving was causing the flames to rise and lower. She looked at the tip of her wand then back at the fire and lifted her hand. The flames jumped up. Lenaya grinned. She waved it around and the flames followed suite. They rose and fell and jumped around dancing to the flipping of her wand. She jumped out of the chair and began dancing around, the flames also twirling. She waved her hands and pretended to be an orchestra conductor. She skipped around the hearth for several long minuets before Tom had to come over and put out the flames which had caught the drapes over the mantel piece on fire.

He shot Lenaya a cross look and walked away. Lenaya blushed and put her wand back under her robes slowly. She sat back into the chair and watched the pictures the flames created. They had calmed now and she sought out different patterns and pictures within them, a rabbit, a lion, a dragon. Then a woman, tall and beautiful. She starred into the flames unable to advert her eyes from the woman in the fire. Then a shrill laugh rang in her head and Lenaya forced herself to look away. However hard she tried, she never quite forgot.

Snape had told her a couple years ago that aurors had found Bellatrix and tried her for being a Death Eater and for torture of several muggles and aurors. She had been convicted and sent to Azkaban where she would live out the remainder of her life. Lenaya supposed Snape had thought she would be affected by the news or devastated or something but she simply had shrugged her shoulders and had said that that was what she deserved if not less. Lenaya tried hard to live her life opposite of her mother's, she was curious about muggles and had tried on many occasions to sneak out and go into town to investigate them, however Snape had stopped her and kept her within the garden at all times. She also tried as hard as she could to keep her anger in check, though as a short fuse did run in her blood and puberty was messing with her hormones, it was difficult to keep from bursting out in rage at times. Snape had tried to assure her that every child goes through this stage, he said it must be so for Dumbledore had told him. He had said it didn't mean she was a little Death Eater it just meant she was growing up.

Lenaya waltzed up the creaking stairs and into her room. There she stayed, skimming over her charms book or randomly flipping her wand around causing various sorts of havoc in her small room for the remainder of the day. She read Hogwarts: A History for the fifth time knowing it was only hours until she would board the train then finally stepped through the massive wooden doors as an official student at last.


	9. Hogwarts Express

Lenaya Riddle

Lenaya had her trunk, Adiemus (who was hooting rather loudly), and was waring her robes even though she wasn't even on the train yet. She was grinning despite the fact she was receiving odd looks and glances by the muggles all around her at King's Cross Station, but as they were interested in her odd apparel, she was awe-struck and intrigued by everything around her. She had never seen a train and all the muggles around her were so odd looking and interesting she had to make a mental effort to keep from running her trolley into anything.

The Grangers had the witch they had met yesterday to lead them to the platform; the witch was skeptical about letting the responsibility for a muggle family in the hands of a first-year and so she refused to allow Lenaya to show the Grangers to the train. Lenaya beamed as she saw the platform, 9 3/4. She glanced around and her heart leapedas a largefamily of bright red hair came into view all pushing trolleys full of trunks and various animals, mostly owls. Then she saw the twins, Fred and George bringing up the rear apparently laughing at the muggles as they passed by. She pushed her trolley quickly to meet up with the two.

George was the first to notice her and slapping his borther's arm he pointed, grinning to Lenaya. She ran to the twins and nearly knockedGeorge over with an enormousembrace. The three laughed and she let George go and said, "This is it guys! I'm going to Hogwarts with you this year!"

"Brilliant!" George said the pair of them grinned.

"Yeah, now you can help out with Filtch!" Fred said already making plans in his mischievous brilliant mind.

Molly Weasley and Arthur had remarkably noticed the missing twins and turning around gave Lenayaa confused look. George grabbed Lenaya's hand and waved at them for her. She became suddenly embarrassedand pulled her arm from his grasp turning almost as red as his hair. The twins laughed.

"Hello?" Molly said coming over to the trio.

"Hi, ma'am." Lenaya smiled and held out a hand. Molly took it and smiled back. "I'm Lenaya, Fred and George and I met last year while I was visiting the school."

Molly nodded, "Delighted dear, oh, no Percy. You first dear!" Molly turned her attention back to the other Weasley boys. Percy ran to the seemingly solid wall in front of them and to Lenaya's amazementdisappeared upon coming in contact with the brick. Fred and Georgegrinned at her expression and George playfully nudged her.

Then a boy Lenaya suddenly recognized from Diagon Alley with messy black hair and glasses came up to the Weasleys. He was alone and pushed a trolley with a trunk and a beautiful snowy owl. "Um, excuse me. But um, could you show me-" He indicated with his head at the wall and Molly understood.

"How to get into the passage? Oh, well dear its quite simple. You just run strait at it. Don't worry dear, its Ron's first time as well!" Molly indicated to a younger red haired boy covered in freckles who Lenaya had never met before. Lenaya looked at the twins and they called out to Ron.

"Oy, little brother," Ron watched Harry disappear into the wall then came over to his older brothers.

"What? If its another spider-" Ron started.

"No no." Fred waved away his accusations.

"This pretty little lady is going to Hogwarts, its her first year too." George said and Lenaya felt herself blush again much to his amusement.

"For some reason we promised to introduce you to her, this git is Ron." Fred said.

"Now you can go and see if you really are too thick for the passage to let you through." George said and Ron smiled at Lenaya then stuck his tongue out at his brother. He too, disappeared through the passage.

"Mum, why can't I go?" said an even younger red haired girl standing besides her mother.

Fred stepped up between the platforms preparing to run and said to his sister, "Don't worry Ginny."

"Yeah, we'll send you owls." George said.

"Or maybe a Hogwarts toilet seat!" Fred and George laughed and before his mother could scold him, Fred ran through the passage and was gone.

Lenaya felt suddenly nervous, for years she had waited for this moment but now that the time had come she didn't think she could do it. Was she ready for school? Ready for the exams the pressure, the expectations? And an even better question came to mind, could she run through the brick wall as confidently as the others before her? George seemed to sense her anxiety and smiled.

"Its alright, I got a little nervous my first time too, but don't tell anyone." Lenaya smiled back up at the tall ginger boy.

"Who's says I'm nervous?" George raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. Lenaya blushed again under his gaze and he smiled again.

"Alright then, ladies first." George extended his hand to let Lenaya go. Molly, Arthur and Ginny stood waiting for their last Weasley to run through the passage yet they smiled at Lenaya and waited patiently as she readied herselffor the plunge.

Lenaya took several deep breaths and tried to swallow but her throat had gone dry. In the end it was George's smug look that pushed Lenaya to finally take the run. She shut her eyes tight and took several long moments of heavy breathing before she opened them and realized she was standing in front of a brilliant scarlet train. Witches, wizards and students ran around busily, all calling out to one another making sure they would see each other before the train left for the school. Owls hooted over the noise to one an other. She beamed around with sheer pleasure, the whole scene was like a dream. Fred was by one of the compartment doors talking to a girl Lenaya recognized as Angalina Johnson. George slapped her on the back playfully, she jumped then smiled around back at him. She saw Ron and Percy board the train and the messy black haired boy after them. The Grangers were far down the platform being shown the train by the same witch they had met yesterday and looked amazed by their surroundings.

"The prefects over there- No, there. They can take your things 'cause you're a first year and pack it for you." Said George, he pointed to a group of taller students all wearing their robes already. Lenaya smiled.

"Thanks." She walked over to the group where a girl stepped forward. A Hufflepuff prefect took her bags with a welcoming smile and held out her arm to the closest door to the train in a very tour-guide manner. Lenaya nodded and waved at the helpful girl. George was smiling and waiting for her by the door. She stepped in and he followed. The hallway was long and narrow and students were bustling about with books and treats for the long ride. Friends reunited with boisterous greetings and hugs. Lenaya couldn't help but giggle at the joyful atmosphere as she squeezed through the students and found an empty compartment. She opened the door and plopped herself down onto the seat next to the window. Seconds later George sat himself down opposite of Lenaya.

"So? You excited or what? I don't think I've ever seen your eyes so wide!" George said. Lenaya laughed and felt herself blush.

"I've been waiting _forever _to get on this train! I can't believe I'm actually sitting here! You know there was a time when I was thought to be a squib?" Lenaya said.

"Really? There aren't any squibs in my family, we're all pure-bloods. Though that doesn't make any difference!" George said hastily at Lenaya's questioning look.

Just then the compartment door opened and three boys, two thicker then the other, walked in. They stopped abruptly seeing the room was already inhabited. Malfoy sneered at George then saw Lenaya and gave a slick smile. "Going to Hogwarts then? Hope you're in Slytherin with me." Malfoy stepped slowly to her, smirking. "Leave the Weasley, come sit with me. Crabbe, Goyle, meet Lenaya, though you don't need to." Malfoy indicated for her to follow him out of the compartment.

George looked sadly at Lenaya as though Malfoy had convinced her he was the lowest thing on the planet and Lenaya shook her head. "Yeah, _Draco_,is it? I think George and I are rather comfortable here. Bye!" Lenaya smiled sarcastically and gave a small wave as Malfoy frowned and exited the compartment with the two thicker boys following close behind.

George grinned, "Brilliant!"

Lenaya smiled. "You won't imagine who I just met outside by the way!" George exclaimed. Fred opened the compartment door and slid down in a seat next to his twin.

"Who?" Lenaya asked, interested.

Fred and George exchanged excited looks then together said, "Harry Potter!" Lenaya frowned. She didn't see what was so important with this Potter kid. She had noticed Hagrid's pride in Diagon Alley and Snape's obvious dislike, but she had never heard anything about Harry Potter before.

Obviously this wasn't the reaction the twins had anticipated as they continued grinning then said, "You know, _the _Harry Potter!" Lenaya shook her head confused. "Don't tell me you haven't heard of him before?" Fred said disbelievingly. Again Lenaya shook her head smiling at her embarrassment.

"Core blimey, Lenaya!" Fred said.

"Didn't you ever wonder how, You-Know-Who was defeated?" George questioned, suddenly the two had gotten very serious and leaned over to whisper.

Fred explained, "Years ago-"

"Ten years ago-" Corrected George.

"Whatever, ten years ago, You-Know-Who went to kill the Potters right?" Fred said, Lenaya nodded though she had never heard this story before. She had always been too scared to ask her mother and somehow it had never come to her to ask Snape. If she had, he probably wouldn't have told her anyways, he never seemed all that willing to talk of her family all that much.

George whispered, "Well, the night he got there, he killed Harry's parents. Then turned to the little one-year-old baby Potter-"

"Then, POOF!" Fred said clapping his hands together to show Voldemort's downfall.

Lenaya was still confused, "Poof?"

"Yeah-"

"Poof!" They both clapped.

"You-Know-Who tried to use the killing curse on him and poof!"

"It backfired and He never came out of the house!"

"POOF!" They exclaimed together.

Lenaya thought she was missing something obvious because she was still rather confused. "But, then how-"

Fred leaned in again, "Well, that's the question init?"

"Nobody knows what happened on that night-"

"Just that Harry Potter was and still is, The Boy Who Lived!"

"No more horrid You-Know-Who!" George grinned.

By now the train had already begun its journey and was racing past pastures and fields full of sheep and cattle. Lenaya leaned back and thought things through. No more horrid You-Know-Who, had her father really been that evil? Snape had told her people were even afraid to use his own name, even after he had died. What had she been born from? What horrible monster lay within her, even now just waiting for the right moment to spring forth and kill every muggle and muggle-born? Dumbledore had once told her that her destiny was her own to command, that if she didn't want to be a power-hungry murderer, then it was all in her power not to be.

"You alright?" George asked concerned. Lenaya had a tendency to let her thoughts show on her face. A tendency which could be rather irksome when living with Snape.

Lenaya forced a smile which seemed to be convincing enough, "Yeah I'm-"

The compartment door slid open quickly and a young girl with bushy brown hair stood looking very stressed. Hermione asked the three, "Has anyone seen a toad? Oh, hey! I was wondering when I would see you!" Hermione grinned at Lenaya and smiled politely at the Weasley twins who in turn smiled.

"Hey! Sorry, no toad. You find your way alright? That witch didn't want me interfering." Lenaya said, offering Hermione a seat beside her.

"Oh, yeah it was great she showed us everything. Told us how the train moves and all! Oh, no thanks, I should go and look for Neville's toad. Bye!" Hermione waved and before she got out the door she turned and said, "Oh, and you might want to get into your robes you two. I expect we'll be arriving soon." With that she left. The twins looked at each other both amused and annoyed.

"We've been going to Hogwarts a lot longer then that know-it-all!" Exclaimed Fred. "Come George we ought to go and get our robes on, I expect we'll be arriving soon!" Fred said lifting his nose with his finger and speaking in a posh voice. He and George laughed and stood.

"Oy, she's a nice girl! Besides, she's a muggle-born, goin' to need all the help she can get in Hogwarts." Lenaya said and she unfolded a _Daily Prophet _from her carry-on bag.

"Right, sorry." George said and they left to go change. The clean cut pastures and fields had disappeared and were now replaced by wilderness. Dark forests and overgrown valleys. Several rivers ran rapidly, criss-crossing through the thick oaks; undergrowth sprawled like an animal trying to avoid the sun by hiding in the dank, dark ground below. The twins came back but didn't stay long as Lee Jordan, a good friend of the twins' had something Lenaya didn't catch the name of and was showing it around the train. They asked if she had wanted to come but she refused kindly, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for the time being. Thoughts of Voldemort and of her possible future. Lenaya read the Prophet and came across something rather odd.

Gringotts break-in, the vault in question had been emptied the very same day so nothing was stolen. However what caught Lenaya's interest was that nobody had been caught. Their was no evidence, no witnesses. Snape had told her once that someone would be absolutely out of their minds to _want _to steal from Gringotts, never mind _try _to steal from Gringotts. He said it was down right impossible to trick a goblin and Lenaya had believed him up until now. Someone had stolen from Gringotts, she looked at the date. Her heart skipped a beat, it had been broken into the very same day that her and Snape had gone shopping in Diagon Alley; in fact they had even gone to Gringotts in order to withdraw the needed amount for her school things.

How very peculiar, she would have to go and talk to Snape about this when she got the opportunity at school. Her heart skipped another beat and Lenaya feared she would go into cardiac arrest for her bloody nerves. How would her being a student affect her relationship with Snape? Would it really be all that different? And what if the unthinkable did happen and she was placed into a house other then Slytherin, or what if she was placed in Griffindor? Snape said that each house had their good and valuable traits, but she could tell that he somehow disapproved of Griffindor. She knew that Snape was head of Slytherin. All these thoughts gave her heart palpitations and she suddenly found herself sweating. Great, Snape was giving her a headache and she wasn't even off the train yet.

She stood and stretching her legs, thought it a good idea to have a walk around the train. She opened the compartment door but nearly ran right into the sweet trolley. "Oh, anything off the trolley dear?" Asked the kindly old witch.

"Erm, no thank you. Not enough money." Lenaya said sadly.

"Oh, dear, here have a chocolate frog on me. Oh but don't tell anyone!" She winked and handed her a small box. Lenaya grinned and thanked her. "Its alright dear." She walked down the train opening doors and asking if any hungry witch or wizard wanted sweets. Lenaya followed and looked around the train and out the windows. The wilderness sped by, the sun was on its dissent and there weren't any students now who were wearing their muggle clothes. All had their school robes on and were packing up the things they had taken out on the train. Lenaya stopped outside a compartment and looked inside to see the seats were completely covered in sweets and chocolates. Two boys who she immediately recognized as Ron, the younger Weasly and Harry Potter, sat inside joking and eating. They too, had already changed into their robes. She opened the door and gave an amused look at their stuffed faces.

"Watcha' doin'?" She asked as she opened her chocolate frog. She caught it in mid-jump and took a small bite.

"Nothing much, did you get bored with my brothers then?" Asked Ron.

Lenaya laughed, "No, actually they sort of abandoned me." She sighed dramatically.

"I know you, we met in Diagon Alley. Hi again." Said Harry warmly.

Lenaya smiled, "Hi! Got enough food there do you?" The boys laughed and looked around at the massive mess they had made. "I'll help you clean it up, we're almost at Hogwarts. Oh and have any of you seen a toad?" They began cleaning up the sweets.

"Oh, not you too? Honestly, this Neville character needs to keep a hold of his toad a lot better!" Said Ron, shoving a handful of sweets into his mouth. They took all of twenty minutes to clean up the sweets, however it would have taken a lot less time if Ron had not started a sweet fight by chucking licorice wands at Harry. Pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs had gone everywhere and thus the reason it had taken so long to clean. Though the fight was all in good fun and Lenaya enjoyed the two boy's company. Afterwards they had begun talking, Lenaya had learned of Ron's extensive family and Harry's unfortunate lack there of. She had explained how she had a father but no mother or siblings and was not as wealthy as most of the students on the train. This seemed to lighten Ron's mood and she learned that the Weasley family were poor as well.

Harry showed her his lightning bolt scar which Ron had whispered that was the sign of the Dark Curse Voldemort had used on him. Lenaya found it interesting but didn't gawk over it every second like the other students did when they saw him. The train stopped and pulled into the Hogsmead station. A familiar booming voice echoed across the now darkening grounds as Hagrid called out to the first years for him to follow him. "Fris' years! Hullo 'Arry!" Harry, Ron and Lenaya followed Hagrid, along with a group of other first years up a dirt path through dark tall trees which seemed to form a solid wall on either side of them. "You'll all ge' to see Howarts in a sec. Its jus' up here." a collection of oohing could be heard from the group of small children as Hogwarts, massive and splendid sitting upon its rocky throne could be seen through a break in the trees. A halo shimmered around the castle as it was bathed in the silver light of the full moon. The sight almost brought tears to Lenaya's eyes. "Two to a boat, firs' years. Now, ONWARD!" Hagrid roared and the boats they had climbed into drifted steadily across the black lake. Hagrid took up a boat to himself. The lake was so beautiful, it looked like black glass, unperturbed by any shadow or creature of the night.

The boats settled quietly on the edge of the lake adjacent the docks. An owl flew overhead and hooted. The silvery melody of the hooting was beautiful and the first years all gawked around the grounds as they walked up the dirt path to the main doors where a tall, strict looking witch with long black pulled up hair stood, waiting.


	10. The Sorting Hat

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said looking down at all the anticipating faces.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." McGonagall had a stern face and the first years kept quiet as she pulled the large doors open to reveal an entrance hall that could have easily fit the Prince cottage ten fold. The old stone walls were lit by several large flaming torches and a magnificent marble staircase to the right led up to the upper floors. Lenaya had seen the hall many times before, she had walked these flagged stone floors, yet somehow it all felt different now. She was now apart of it all, she was suppose to be here and she was much more then a guest now. She was at home finally amongst her peers, other students.

Noise from the large door which led to the Great Hall could be heard and Lenaya guessed the rest of the school had already arrived. However, McGonagall led the first years to a smaller chamber outside the hall. The children crowded in peering around nervously. Lenaya's stomach was doing somersaults and cartwheels as McGonagall addressed the students. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you all take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses." The students all were paying attention, some looking very anxious. "The Sorting ceremony is very important because, while you are here your house will be something like your family here at Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in the house dormitories, and spend free time in the house common room.

"The four houses are called Griffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and has all produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points." Her eyes seemed to linger on Ron sensing his Weasley blood. "At the end of the year the house points will be added up and the house with the most points will win the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The ceremony will begin momentarily in front of the rest of the school. I suggest while waiting out here you would do well to smarten yourselves up as much as you can." She looked at Neville's cloak which was fastened under his left ear and Ron's smudged nose.

"Hey, Neville, is that your toad?" A black boy asked once McGonagall had left. A small toad croked on the stone railing and Neville caught him as he was about to jump off.

"Trevor!" He yelled and scooped him into his robe pocket. Neville thanked Dean for showing him Trevor.

"How exactly do they sort us into our houses?" Lenaya heard Harry ask. A good question which she herself did not know the answer to. She had never been to a Hogwarts feast or meal or sorting ceremony. Snape had refused to let her join him as he wanted her to have the experience all for her first time.

Ron answered a little nervously, "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Lenaya could see the anxiety on Harry's face as well as the rest of the first years. A test? This was going to be horrible. Not only was she worried about the house she would be placed in, she had to prove herself in front of everyone else? What a nightmare! Snape taught Potions so would she have to mix some sort of concoction in order to be put into Slytherin? That is if she even wanted to be in Slytherin. She still hadn't made up her mind if she wanted to be in the house of her ancestors. She was, after all, a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself. However knowing this truth made her want to be in Slytherin less as she had seen her family and didn't particularly want to be like them in the least.

No one was talking much except Hermione who seemed to babble when nervous. She vomited facts she had read about the school and of various spells she had been studying which she thought would be able to help her in the ceremony. Lenaya suddenly felt a great wave of fear, she had not practiced a single spell. Sure she had read over her books and knew some of the names and uses, but she hadn't practiced. Snape had never told her she would need to know a spell book on the very first day and she suddenly felt very foolish for thinking that her first day at a great school would be all rainbows and butterflies.

Then all of a sudden a scream was heard and all the students turned, "What the-?"

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall and were seemingly having an argument amongst themselves. Pearly-white and transparent, they glided across the floor talking to each other, not paying one glance at the first years. A little fat monk Lenaya knew as the Fat Friar was talking, "Forgive and Forget, I say. we ought to give him a second chance-"

"My dear Friar, haven't we all given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and he isn't really even a ghost- I say, what are you all doing here?" Nick had suddenly noticed the nervous first years all staring up at them. Nobody answered but Lenaya grinned up at them and Nick exclaimed joyfully, "Oh! First years here to be sorted! Oh how splendid!" Few students nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" Said the Friar cheerfully. "My old house you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. McGonagall had returned carrying a large roll of parchment. "The Sorting will begin now, form a line. Now, follow me." Lenaya lined up behind Ron who was behind Harry and walked out of the chamber, back across the entrance hall and through a large pair of intricately decorated double doors into the Great Hall. Lenaya had seen the hall before, but never had it been so splendid and beautiful. Golden glittering plates, bowls and cutlery lay on the long wooden house tables. All the students sat according to their houses and were now all watching the first years make their way up to the top of the hall where another long table stood with all the teachers sitting at it. Lenaya instinctively looked for Snape. He had been watching her and he gave a small smile and nodded. She grinned back and was now filled with confidence. Dumbledore also nodded and smiled and Lenaya felt she could do no wrong, whatever the test may be. Lenaya heard Hemrione explaining how and why the ceiling above had been bewitched to look like the night sky. It was difficult to imagine it as a ceiling at all actually and that it simply didn't just open out into the Heavens.

McGonagall had led the first years to the top of the hall so that they were facing the hundreds of students looking up at them in anticipation. Lenaya felt her confidence quiver. Here and there, like silver mist, house ghosts were sitting amongst the students, also facing their transparent eyes up at the nervous first years. Lenaya watched as McGonagall placed a four-legged stool silently in the middle of the first years. On top of the stool she placed a pointed wizard's hat, black and shabby and extremely dirty. Lenaya was reminded of Prince cottage and all the dusty old hats which lay at the bottom of the hall closet. Then the hat twitched and a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth. Then the hat began to sing:

_Oh you may not think me pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me._

You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.

_There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap! _

The students all clapped when the sorting hat had shut its brim. The hat bowed to each table at the applause and then all fell silent again as McGonall stepped forward rolling out the large roll of parchment she had been carrying. Lenaya heard Ron whisper, "So we've just got to try on the hat! I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll or something." Lenaya smiled, that did sound like Fred.

McGonagall addressed the first years, "When I call your name you will place the hat on your head and sit on the stool to be sorted." She read from the list, "Abbott, Hannah!"

The hat fell right over the pink-faced girl's eyes as she sat on the stool. A moment later the hat cried, "HUFFLEPUFF!" A roar of applause came from the respective house as she jumped from the stool and made her way to her new house table. Another two Hufflepuffs were called then came two Ravenclaws. Lavender Brown became Griffindor's first addition and the Griffindor house clapped loudly. Lenaya could see Fred and George sitting next to each other. George waved and gave an encouraging smile. Lenaya smiled back weakly. Millicent Bulstrode became Slytherin's first first year and as she made her way to the Slytherin table, Lenaya saw that the Slytherins were a sort of unpleasant looking people. Though it could have been just because she now knew they were Slytherins that her perspective of them was now bleak.

Another Hufflepuff, then the boy in front of Harry was made a Griffindor. As Seamus made his way to the Griffindor table, Mcgonagall called from the list, "Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione stepped forward whispering self-confident assurances. The hat was placed on her bushy head and it took a moment but then called, "GRIFFINDOR!" Lenaya heard Ron give a groan. Lenaya grinned at Hermione who waved at her from the Griffindor table. Then the boy who seemed to always be loosing his toad was called. Neville fell over half-way to the stool and turned a bright red as the hat was placed on his head. When the hat finally shouted 'GRIFFINDOR', Neville ran off the to table with the hat still on his head. Amid laughter, especially from the Slytherins, he jogged back to the stool and placed it down.

Then to Lenaya's dislike, Malfoy was called. The blond boy swaggered up to the stool and got his wish. The hat had barely even touched his slick hair when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" Snape clapped and Malfoy swaggered to his table to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle. He looked rather pleased with himself. Several more names were being called and as the group got smaller and smaller, Harry was called.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called and instantly whispers were heard from across the hall. Lenaya looked at Dumbledore who too, looked rather anxious. Harry walked nervously to the stool and waited for the hat to be placed on his head. McGonagall did so silently and the rest of the hall fell silent waiting to see where the famous Potter boy would be placed. The brim fell over his green eyes. Suddenly the hat spoke, "Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great you know, its all here, in your head, and Slytherin can help you on your way to greatness, there's no doubt about that- no? Well, if you're sure- better be, GRIFFINDOR!"

The aplause was the loudest of them all, Lenaya laughed as Fred and George stood clapping and yelling. "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Now there were only four people to be sorted.

"Riddle, Lenaya!" Lenaya caught her breath as her name was called and from the corner of her eye saw as Snape stood to attention. It was the first time she noticed him at the head table sitting beside a rather nervous looking man. She stepped forward cautiously. Lenaya also noticed that Snape was not the only one that seemed anxious to see where the hat would sort her. McGonagal straightened as well as Dumbledore. The three teachers that knew of her heritage. Lenaya took a deep breat has she sat upon the stool infront of the entire school. McGonagal glanced at Dumbledore before placing the Hat on her head.

"What!" The Hat jumped causing Lenaya's head to lurch up. It seemed confused and both Lenaya and Dumbledore looked as thought they feared the at would reveal who she was in front of the school. "What, what, what... do we have here?" The Hat hummed with thought. "Intelligence and wit i see, good for Ravenclaw... but look here, cunning and a wealth of ambition... I think the most perfect candidate for Slytherin..."

Lenaya's heart stopped. Slytherin? Was she so much like her parents? "Oh, I see..." Said the Hat as the obvious disdain for her heritage rose to the front of her mind. "Oh, I do see now." Snape looked as though her might jump at the Hat for drawing out the process so long when the Hat shouted, "GRIFFINDOR!"

Lenaya felt her heart stop. Was she happy? She had been handmade and sculpted since her birth as the Heir of Slytherin now to be placed in the house of her ancestor's rival. She was not disappointed. She had no idea whether being i Slytherin would have been better for her but the choice had already been made and Lenaya smiled as she sat down at the Griffindor table. The twins made room for her and she sat beside George happily, feeling accepted.

Malfoy glared at her from the Slytherin table obviously angry at being deprived of his new goal. She made no notice of him however and soon the sorting was over. Lenaya dared not look up at Snape as Dumbledore stood. "Let the feast, begin!" He waved his hands as the signal for the house-elves below to magic up the food they had prepared. Everything looked remarkable as the joyous sounds of happy children filled the Hall.

"Oy, what's this then?" Fred asked with a cheeky grin. Lenaya looked up to see the twins smiling at her as well as Lee Jordan and Percy from across the table.

"I'd have thought that Snape's little pet would have been in Sytherin!" Said George playfully.

"Well I could just get up and sit over there then, if that's what you would prefer?" Lenaya said as she cut her meat.

George laughed, "No, no, no, no, no, I'm not in the habit of giving a Malfoy what he wants!" He nodded to the Slytherin table and though Malfoy was no longer being obvious about it, he still was shooting sharp glances over to the Griffindor table in their direction.

"We're glad to see that over exposure to the snake hasn't turned you into one, though." Lee Jordan said with a smile.

Lenaya smiled back, though awkwardly. She was now amongst people that would have shunned her instantly if her past were to be exposed. Maybe the Hat did make a mistake. If she were in Slytherin, would she have been a hero? The thought made her oddly happy. What if she did have some power that would have allowed her to walk these halls as the worshiped heroine of the Slytherin house? These thoughts all filled her head with idle fantasies until suddenly the shrill high shriek of her mother filled her thoughts. No. She wasn't some hero. Voldemort was no hero.

Feeling now slightly more confident that she had been paced in the correct house, Lenaya venture to look up at the row of teachers. She caught Dumbledore's eye though she had the feeling he had not been looking at her as she heard Harry's laugh beside her. Dumbledore smiled at her however and nodded reassuringly as though he had known the conflict that had just occurred in her head. Lenaya smiled back then continued down the table until she finally came to Snape. He was talking to the Professor besides him though must have felt Lenaya's eyes on him for her turned then to meet her gaze. He did not looked too please at first then quickly a sharp twitch of his lip made her smile. She had come to expect not a smile from him but rather the slight twitch in his lip as subtle approval. His eyes broke the connection as he looked down then back to the Professor still talking aimlessly besides him.


	11. New Lessons and Wagers

The following morning the new students awoke to find their formerly all black robes had been decorated by the house-elves to fit the houses they had been sorted into. Red lined the Griffindor robes and an assortment of house ties, scarves and jumpers had been added to the students' wardrobes. Lenaya felt both excited and guilty as she put on her red-lined jumper and robes. She had Hermione help her with her tie as she had never put one on before and gathering her books, parchment and quill, she and Hermione left the girl's dormitory. They set their things in the common room and made their way through the maze of the hundred and forty-two staircases to find the Great Hall where they and the rest of the school would have breakfast.

Finally when they arrived many of the students had already eaten and gone. They had been delayed by the school poltergeist, Peeves, who had been throwing something round and rotten all over the fourth floor corridor. Of course after the Bloody Baron had showed up, Peeves left and Hermione and Lenaya had been free to go. Harry and Ron were still in the Great Hall eating eggs and tomatoes with sausages when Lenaya walked up behind them and sat down next to Ron. "Good morning boys!" She said cheerily as a plate appeared in front of her. Hermione sat next to Lenaya but didn't greet the other two. Harry smiled through his full mouth, his cheeks buldging giving him the shocking resemblance to a chipmunk.

"Mornin'" Said Ron with a merry smile. Lenaya grabbed an egg and passed the sausages over to Hermione who had her charms book out and was reading over the basic spells again. They had Charms class first with Professor Flitwick and Hermione had said she was determined to get on every teachers' good side first and foremost. Of course she had said this in front of Fred and George who began to take the mickey out of her by calling her a know-it-all boffin and Lenaya had to shut the two up before they really hurt Hermione. Percy had also interfered and Fred and George had apologized to Hermione who had said it was quite understandable.

"You do realize that there _will _be teachers who just won't like you right?" Lenaya asked concerned that her new friend would be let down. Hermione looked up confused.

"Well of _course_ they will like me! I've read _all_ of the subject books for their classes! How could they _not _like me?" Hermione asked, she was completely convinced in herself.

Ron has overheard their discussion and Lenaya heard him whisper, "Three guesses, mate." Lenaya sighed.

"I don't know, what about ..." Lenaya thought. "Professor Snape? He has been known to not like Griffindors on principal, whether they're good at potion making or not."

"Well, I'll just have to win him over then shant I?" Lenaya shook her head. She had decided for a change on the first full day, to let her long, shiny, black hair fall loose. It hung past her mid-back and was slightly wavy from having in a constant plait.

"Shh, look! There he is!" Whispers could be heard all over the Great Hall as students pointed and gawked at Harry. Lenaya noticed his displeasure and turned to a group of Ravenclaws who were quickly whispering and giggling amongst themselves while pointing at Harry.

"Oy, do you mind?" Lenaya said and the group of giggling Ravenclaws turned around, giving Lenaya rude looks. Harry looked at Lenaya.

"Thanks." Lenaya smiled and put another peice of egg in her mouth.

"No problem." It was then she realized she hadn't seen her father since last night during the Sorting Ceremony. Lenaya swallowed and looked around and up at the high table. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape were all sitting there conversing with each other. Dumbledore seemed to be having a great time as he laughed at a joke McGonagall had just told. Flitwick and Snape were talking but their conversation didn't appear all that interesting as Snape fiddled with is food. Lenaya starred up at him for a long while before Snape suddenly looked up seemingly noticing the hole Lenaya's eyes had bored into him. Lenaya grinned as they made eye contact and Snape simply nodded then turned to face Flitwick, their conversation seemed to suddenly become very intriguing. Dumbledore had noticed their exchange and as Lenaya looked down sadly, he frowned.

After their breakfast Hermione and Lenaya walked back up to the Griffindor common room quickly to retrieve their things and went straight to Charms class which was next to the library so Hermione, surprisingly enough, had no difficulty in finding her way. Professor Flitwick was a small man with even smaller golden glasses. He was so small in fact, that he had to stand on top of a pile of thick school books in order to see over his desk and instruct the class. Lenaya giggled as at the start of the class, Professor Flitwick called roll from a long bit of parchment and calling Harry's name, he had gave a squeak and fallen from view. She watch Harry redden, though she couldn't help but giggle at the spectacle.

Next had been Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Lenaya had found it easy to lead Hermione to the transfiguration courtyard as she had been there so many times before. Lenaya was a tad bit nervous, for though she was already on the Professor's good side, she had remembered how strict she had been years before and was a bit slow on entering her large classroom. McGonagall had been standing quite strait by her desk, waiting for all the students to arrive and when the time had come for all of them to have been there, she whipped out her wand and the doors closed with a loud creaking sound. Everyone took their seats quietly, Lenaya sat next to Hermione and Ron next to Harry. The Patil twins, though she could tell Fred and George apart she had no idea which were which, sat together and Professor McGonagall gave them an exasperated look as she obviously couldn't tell the two apart either. Lenaya had been right about McGonagall being a strict professor, for once everyone had settled down she had given the class a quick talking too. "Transfiguration, turning an object into another, is perhaps one of the most difficult and dangerous branches of magic and I shall warn you that if there is any fooling about in my class you will quickly be finding yourselves packed up and on your way back to London. Understood, class?" The students nodded and agreed. McGonagall then went about giving them matches and had showed them how to turn them into needles. Seamus' match had instantly caught fire. Ron's had grown spindly, insect looking legs and had indeed ran away from him before he could catch it. It then began jumping from chandelier to chandelier, taunting Ron until McGonagall had magicked it down safely before Ron had had the chance to throw his shoe up at it. Lenaya had tried desperately but all she could manage was to sharpen one end of the match. In the end, it was Hermione who had succeeded and who had received one of Professor McGonagall's rare smiles.

Afterwards, the first years were all very excited to be having Defense Against the Dark Arts. However once inside Professor Quirrell's garlic-smelling classroom, the whole class turned into a joke. The Professor had an incurable and insufferable stutter which irritated Lenaya to the point of wanting to shove the various garlic which decorated the room into her ears. She, instead of listening to the Professor, which she found impossible to do, read from the Dark Arts book on the subject she had assumed he was stuttering about. Much to Lenaya's amazement, by the end of the class Hermione had two sides of parchment filled out with notes she had gathered from Quirrell. However, she had heard Ron complain about the Professor's stuttering and how he too hadn't understood half the things he had said, and Lenaya felt slightly better.

Her and Hermione had then, after classes, retired to the common room. "Honestly, Lenaya, just how do you expect to pass your exams without practicing?" Hermione had been pestering Lenaya ever since they had left their last lesson and Lenaya was growing more and more annoyed by the second. Fred and George were in the corner of the common room making the flames in the fire place change colours.

Lenaya sighed, "Exams? Are you really all that worried about our exams already?" Hermione looked as though Lenaya had suggested that the sun would not rise in the morning.

"Well of course I am! And you should be too! However do you anticipate on going anywhere if you aren't prepared for anything?" Hermione said, flicking her wand about.

Lenaya rolled over on the settee she had been laying on to face Hermione, "Alright, fine. What have you got?" Hemione grinned. She pulled out a spellbook from her bag and placed it on the floor in front of Lenaya. Lenaya read the spell at the top of the page Hermione had pointed at. "Wingardium Leviosa?" She asked giving Hermione a tired look. "Professor Flitwick said we won't be doing levitation for ages!"

"Like I said, it never hurts to always be prepared! Come on, just try." Hermione pulled at Lenaya's sleeve.

She groaned, "Alright, alright. What do I have to do?" She got up off the settee and took a proper look at the incantation. Fred and George now were watching their young friend intently.

Hermione read then pulled out her wand and said, "Well, it says, swish and flick. Swish and flick while saying the incarnation, Wingardium Leviosa. Like so." Hermione swished and flicked and said the incantation while pointing at a pillow on the settee. Nothing happen and she heard snickering from the corner of the room. Annoyed, she tried again, this time with more force in the words. The pillow twitched, then flew strait up. Hermione wore a smug smirk and swished the levitating pillow around the common room. The Weasleys didn't laugh as she set the pillow back down gently where it had come from. "Now you have a go." Hermione said kindly.

Lenaya saw a glint of silver as the smiling twins made their customary bet. She smirked and pulled out her wand and read the incantation again. Pointing her wand at the now stilled pillow she concentrated. Taking a deep breath she swished and flicked, "Wingardium Leviosa." Nothing happened. George looked disappointed. Again she tried and again she failed. She sighed. George held up a finger for his brother to wait on their bet and watched Lenaya.

"No, you're not saying it right." Corrected Hermione. "Here, listen. Win-_gar_-dium Levi-_oh_-sa. Try again, you'll get it." Though she was trying to be encouraging, she did sound rather like a know-it-all boffin.

Lenaya squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. She pointed again and swished then flicked, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The pillow gave another twitch and then flew higher then it had for Hermione. Hermione grinned and Fred and George clapped, though George clapped louder as he collected his winnings from his brother. Lenaya grinned and felt great, this was her first successful spell and it felt amazing. She swung the pillow all around the common room and hit Fred in the back of his head with it before placing it back down on the settee.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Said the twins together.

"Great Lenaya, good job." Hermione said, grinning.

Lenaya grinned then looked at the clock above the mantel piece. Seven-thirty, she had plenty of time. "Erm, I think I'm going to go to Professor Snape. You know, to try and get ahead for tomorrow." She added quickly at Hermione's questioning look.

She smiled and nodded, "Brilliant idea! I'll go with you!"

"Erm, no. That is, well see he doesn't much like Griffindors and don't you think two of us coming at once might be a bit much?" She hoped her week excuse would be enough.

Hermione looked a bit taken aback, but nodded none the less. "Yeah, alright. But you must tell me what he says!" She said.

"Yeah, course." Then Lenaya grabbed her robe and stepped out the portrait of the Fat Lady. Half-way down the stairs Peeves had swooped down on her from now where.

"Out of our common roomsies we sees! Ooh, naughty naughty little Miss Lenaya!" He said snickering above her.

"Oh, bugger off Peeves, students are allowed out at this time." Lenaya said irritated and tried to continue down the marble steps. A dung bomb exploded behind her. Peeves was dropping them at whim and chanting some rude song about smelly wands. "Oy, Peeves, I _will _get the Bloody Baron! I've done it before!" Peeves stopped chucking dung bombs. "You want that?" He swooped off groaning under his breath something about being no fun. She sighed and continued to the second floor and from there she found the Viaduct entrance. A couple of Slytherins were there snickering amongst themselves as she walked by. She walked down the cold steps to the dungeons. The dungeon corridor was, by far, the coldest part of the castle. Even colder then Professor Binns' room; and he was a ghost.

She knocked on the potions classroom door slowly. "Enter." Came the expected cool voice. Lenaya opened the door. She poked her head in and grinned at Snape sitting behind his desk, still decorated by pickled creatures in glowing jars. Snape raised an eyebrow, but motioned for her to come in further and sit down. She closed the door behind her and grabbed a stool. She pulled it up to the Professor's desk and sat down grinning. Snape, without so much as a word, conjured two cups of tea. Lenaya grabbed one from the air and began sipping eagerly. She had missed her morning tea and had been secretly craving a cup all day. Snape grabbed his and sipped as well.

"So, how are your classes?" Snape asked quietly trying to avoid looking at the scarlet accents on her robes, jumper, knee-high socks, tie or skirt. This proved to be somewhat difficult, surprisingly.

"Well. Quite well. Though, to be honest, Professor McGonagall is somewhat intimidating." Lenaya said. Snape's corner of his lip bent upward.

"Perhaps you should wait to have Potions before you pass judgment on who is an intimidating professor." Snape smirked. Lenaya raised her brow.

"Ha! I've seen your classes! While you may have other students positively _begging _for a train ride home, I know you and you couldn't frighten me in class, even if you tried!" Lenaya scoffed and took a greedy gulp from her tea. Snape laughed under his breath.

"That, sounds like a challenge. Shall I accept?" Snape said with amusment thick on his question.

Lenaya smirked and held out her hand, "Very well. A challenge, you try to intimidate me during potions class." He took her hand.

"The stakes?" He questioned, his eye brow cocked.

Lenaya thought, "Hmm, how about I clean your classroom for a week. If you _fail_ however, you mustn't give _any_ homework for a week. Agreed?"

Snape thought it over, "Just your class?"

Lenaya grinned, "Nope. No homework shall be given to _any_ class what-so-ever."

Snape sighed and said, "Agreed. Though how will I know if I have won or not?"

Lenaya rolled her eyes and looked very uncomfortable, "I suppose, I guess this _one _time... You could, well, read my mind after class. But just this once!" She added holding up her finger. Lenaya had found out several years ago when she had lied about a broken vase that Snape could penetrate minds. Neither of them knew how she had known her mind was being invaded, but she was not happy afterwards and refused to speak to him for a whole two weeks. He had since promised not to do so ever again and since she would know instantly, he never did attempt to read her thoughts again. Snape gave a small, amused smile.

"Reallly? How generous of you." He sneered.

"No, no, no. Only how I felt in the class, anything else I shall know and whether I was intimidated or not, you won't give any homework for _two _weeks." Lenaya said.

Snape shook his head, "You really shouldn't command those in charge of your grades and thus your future." Lenaya smiled.

They then continued to sip their tea in silence and a question came to her mind. Though, she was slightly nervous as to ask said question. "Erm, father?" Snape looked up. "When- When I was sorted, well, were- are you disappointed?" She looked down. He did not answer immediately.

He sat back in his chair and opened a drawer full of confiscated items. Lenaya recognized the majority of which belonged to the Weasley twins. He stopped rummaging as he reached to the bottom. From it he withdrew a small, old looking picture Lenaya could not see properly as Snape was looking at it very carefully. He then glanced up at Lenaya as though deciding something and threw the picture down on the desk in front of her without a word. Lenaya glanced between him and the picture and placing her tea down, she picked up the picture. A young girl, though certainly older then Lenaya, stood in the very room she was in now. However the pickled creatures had gone and it looked brighter, cleaner. She was carrying several school books and was smiling warmly into the picture. She had dark red hair almost as long as Lenaya's and bright green almond eyes which were full of kindness and affection. Lenaya looked closer and saw she was waring Griffindor robes and a scarlet and gold scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck.

"She was in Griffindor." Snape said quietly as Lenaya continued studying the picture. "She was a very clever girl. Very kind. I suppose, after I met her, being in Griffindor doesn't always make you a horrible person." He was whispering and Lenaya dare not look in his black eyes. She slid the picture back over the desk and Snape put it back in the drawer at the bottom.

"Who was she?" Lenaya asked, also quietly.

Snape sighed, "An old friend." He smiled at her look. "_Yes_, I had a friend."

Lenaya smiled. Looking at the clock she stood from her stool and dragged it back where it had come from. "I better get going, father. Good night!" Snape stood before she could leave and reluctantly held out his arms. She grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Really? Honestly?" Snape rolled his eyes and gave a sharp nod as though he was re-thinking his decision. She squeaked and ran forward throwing her arms around him.

"Good night, my little Griffindor." Snape whispered and she was off. She shut the door behind her and ran as fast as should could back up the seven flights of marble steps to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Just in time. Any later and you would have been out after hours." The Fat Lady informed.

"Caput Draconis." She swung open, allowing her through. Hermione was nowhere to be seen and Lenaya guessed she had gone to bed for the night. Fred and George however, were still wide awake. "What are you two up to now?"

George grinned, "Trying to figure out how to make a toilet seat weight as much as a letter."

"Owls have a hard time with such a heavy load, see and-"

Lenaya laughed and shook her head, "Goodnight boys!"

George watched her leave and waved at her as she opened the door to the girl's dormitory. Lenaya found Lavender and the Patil twins were already asleep, however, not to her surprise, Hermione was still up reading by wand light. "Shocking." Lenaya said as Hermione looked up at her.

"So?" Hermione asked.

"So what?" Lenaya pulled off her robes and squirmed into her night gown.

"So, did you find out what we're doing in Potions tomorrow?" Hermione asked again, excitedly.

"No actually. Got attacked by Peeves on the way and by the time I got down there he yelled at me and commanded I go strait to my dormitory." Lenaya lied, tucking herself in.

Hermione looked disapointed and huffed under her breath, "Should have let me go." Lenaya grinned into the dark.

"Goodnight, Hermione." And for the second time, Lenaya drifted off into an unperturbed slumber.


	12. The Potions Master and Late Nights

Though at first her sleep had been unperturbed, the night was full of wicked images and ghastly shrieks. Lenaya rolled around on her small four-poster bed until she finally had fallen off. She hit the wooden floor with a loud, _thump_. However, she had been fortunate, for as she looked around everyone else had gone from the room. Well, not everyone.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked concerned. She had been packing her books into her bag, though she was not yet properly dressed. "I was just going to wake you."

Lenaya hit her head back down on the floor and groaned, "Yeah, I'm just fine." She stood and rolled up her sheets on her bed and changed quickly. Hermione huffed as she saw Lenaya's bed and the dreadful state of her tie.

"Honestly," She sighed. Hermione re-did her tie and waving her wand, putting her bed into proper order. "Now come on then. Double potions this morning." Lenaya faked a groan and gathering her things, followed Hermione out of the girl's dormitory. The common room was mostly empty, Ron and Harry were finishing up their Transfiguration homework in the corner and Dean and Seamus were practicing wizard's chess. Lenaya remembered trying to play against Snape once. She had won and then had arrogantly challenged Dumbledore who proceeded to demolish her pieces one by one. He then had chuckled and warned her to pick her fights more wisely in the future. Lenaya had then learnt that Snape had let her win and then felt very foolish indeed.

Lenaya grabbed an apple Ron was just about to bite into and then ate it, grinning at the ginger boy. "Fred told me too." Ron shrugged and told her she could have it and that he would have to try and hit his brother with a gnome in the back of the head the next time their mother asked them to de-gnome the garden. Lenaya had laughed and followed Hermione down to the Great Hall where Hermione ate and muttered incantations between each mouth-full. Lenaya had watched amused. Then afterwards they accompanied Pavarti and Lavender to the dungeons. Lenaya led the way for the most part as the other became lost for apparently Peeves had thought it a good laugh to place signs around the corridors to try a confuse first years. One sign had led one, if they weren't paying any attention at all, right off the clock tower. Neville proved to not have the best situational awareness as Lenaya later learned Fred had pulled him away just before he had walked a tad bit too far.

They entered the cold dungeons and waited outside the Potions classroom with several other first years who were looking rather nervous. Of course the Slytherin first years, including Malfoy, were confident and smirking while whispering to each other at the Griffindors. Snape had always had had favourites, Lenaya knew that. In fact she would constantly reprimand him after various classes for picking on Griffindors after they had been taunted by the Slytherins. She never quite understood his unjust methods and hatred towards the Griffindors. She had learned to live with it, however she felt living with it would be a bit harder for the next seven years as he would now be picking on her and her friends. Oh the joy.

The door was suddenly flung open and standing in the doorway, looking not unlike an overgrown bat, Professor Snape stood and frowned down at the now silenced first years. Snape, without word, stood to the side to let the students through. Though it was obvious he had frightened everyone, the Slytherins did their best to swagger in confidently and take their seats. The Griffindors shrunk under his scowl and scuttled inside to the stools; so much for brave at heart. Snape waited and watched every student walk into his class. Lenaya held back to the end. Snape watched her with the same cold glare and Lenaya smirked smugly up at him while she passed under his hooked nose. Snape rolled his black eyes and shut the door, lingering as though the students had now been trapped and he were surveying his next meal. There was an open seat behind Seamus which was unfortunately next to Malfoy. As it was the only seat left, she knew she had to take it b,ut walked over to it slowly as though a stool would appear out of nowhere.

"Take your seat, Miss Riddle." Snape hissed. Lenaya sighed and sat down next to the pointed face which was now smirking nastily. She sat, then immediately jumped up. A pin had been placed on her stool. Crabbe snickered. "I said, sit!" Snape said as he walked up to his desk. "One point from Griffindor." Lenaya shot Snape an angry, unjust look. He sneered. She threw the pin from her stool and sat without breaking her contact with Snape.

Once everyone was settled, which didn't take long as Snape, like McGonagall, had that innate ability to control a classroom without growing cross, Snape took out a roll of parchment and began calling roll. "Malfoy, Finnigan, Weasley, Granger, Riddle... Ah, yes. Mr. Potter." Harry's heart jumped. "Harry Potter. Our new - _celebrity_." Snape said quietly. Malfoy and the blubbering idiots behind him sniggered behind their hands. Lenaya suddenly remembered that day in Diagon Alley and wanted to shout out, to tell Harry to run, hide, throw Ron's shoe at Snape, something! However she could do nothing.

Once Snape was done with calling roll, he addressed the rest of the class, however, sparred particularly nasty glares at Harry. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." He spoke in barely more then a whisper but they had caught every word. Every student was on the edge of their seat. "As there is no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class I doubt any of you will consider this to be real magic. However, not to appreciate the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the minds and ensnaring the senses, will be a pity and might cost you heavily." Their faces were pale and drained of colour. "I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory. Even, stopper death." Malfoy gawked in admiration, Lenaya scoffed. There was no way to stop death. Fancy talk from the silken bard of the dungeons. Snape rolled his eyes, "That is if if your aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Lenaya looked around, they were either soaking it in, like Hermione, who was determined to prove she wasn't a dunderhead, or pale and exchanging frightened glances. Snape's dark eyes flickered to Lenaya who sat back, arms crossed and smiling, gave a quick wave. Snape's lip twitched with annoyance.

"Potter!" Snape snapped suddenly. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Hemrione's hand shot up. Lenaya sighed as Harry looked at Ron, who looked just as stumped.

Harry turned back to Snape and muttered, "I don't know, sir."

Snape's lips curled into a sneer. Lenaya felt sick, like watching a deer caught in the headlights, then completely obliterated.

"Tut, tut- Clearly, fame isn't everything. Is it, Mr. Potter?" Hermione waved her arm in the air, yet Snape ignored her. Malfoy licked his lips and snickered. Lenaya kicked him under the table. He shot her a dirty look but she simply smirked.

"Well, let's try again, shall we." Snape wasn't finished with his newest prey. "Potter, tell me, where would you look if I asked to get me a bezoar?" Again Hermione nearly jumped off her stool. Harry turned red as he heard Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle roll with laughter.

"I don't know, sir." He said quietly again.

Snape sneered, "Didn't bother looking through your books before class, did we, Potter? Thought your fame would get you through everything, did you? What is the difference between monkswood and wolfsbane?" Hermione could not contain herself, she was now standing with her arm so high it looked painful.

"I don't know, sir. But I think Hermione would like a go?" Seamus winked at Harry and a few Griffindor's laughed. Snape looked at Lenaya who smilied, victorious. Snape, his cloak billowing, walked briskly up to Harry's desk and pulled up a stool right in front of him. They locked eyes coldly.

"Sit down, you silly girl." He snapped at Hermione, who frowned but sat. "For your information, _Potter_, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Dead. A bezoar is located in a goat's stomach and can be used to cure most poisons. As for monkswood and wolfsbane, they are the same herb, which may also go by the name, aconite." They starred at each other then Snape hissed, "Well? Why aren't you all copying this down?" The rest of the class rummaged for quills and parchment and Snape retreated from Harry back to his desk. "Ah, Griffindor, yet another point shall be taken from your house, for your classmate's _cheek_." Lenaya groaned.

Then Snape gave them the challenge of creating a simple potion for curing boils. He strutted around the room criticizing everyone, except Malfoy. "Terrible smell, Miss Riddle. Can you not read?" Snape hissed after looking down at her cauldron.

Lenaya ran her tongue over her teeth, "My mistake, _Professor_." He smiled and left to breath down someone else's neck. Suddenly a acrid haze burst around Seamus and Neville and a sludge was burning through the table top and into the tops of people's shoes. Neville, after receiving a merciless reprimand from Snape, was sent to the hospital wing with hundreds of boils all over his face and arms.

"Potter, Riddle!" Snape called angrily. They both snapped to attention and Lenaya felt her gut weight as she thought she had just lost her bet. "Why did not either of you prevent Mr. Longbottom from making his terrible mistake? Did you think it would be funny, Riddle? Quite amusing, ha ha. I see your humour is not unlike your Weasley friends' idiocy. Or perhaps, Potter, you imagined his foolishness would make you look better?" Neither Harry, nor Lenaya tried to argue their innocence. "Another two points from Griffindor! The shame." Ron seemed to be holding Harry back and Malfoy smirked at Lenaya. She, again jabbed her heel into his leg, hard. He suppressed a groan and scowled, turning back to his cauldron. Lenaya's potion was mediocre and Snape knew it.

"Good Lord, is that honestly the best you can come up with?" Lenaya frowned down at her cauldron, it wasn't so bad. The fumes were just a different colour but she had read that it would still work, just not as well, if the fumes were purple and not black. "How disappointing." He sneered and walked away. For a second she had forgotten that he was her father, she had forgotten that they had shared a house for eleven years and that he was more to her then a potions master. In that second she felt small. She felt as though her potion was the worst and it was a _very_ disappointing feeling indeed.

When class was over they all packed up their things and left as quickly as they could through the now too small dungeon doorway. Lenaya dragged behind, frowning. Snape, though he knew she was there, busied himself with pieces of parchment until the last student had scurried out. Lenaya pulled a stool and sat where she normally did in front of his desk facing him. She needn't worry about charms next class as she had found a secret passageway which led straight there. Finally, when Lavender had left, Snape waved his wand and the door shut. He sat down and tea appeared. Like always, Lenaya took her cup and began to sip.

"Was my potion really that bad?" Lenaya asked. Snape shrugged.

"Better then Longbottom's. Though could use improvement." Snape said.

"Oh," Lenaya sipped more tea. Then Snape put his tea down and walked across the desk so he was facing her. Lenaya rolled her eyes and set her cup down as well. She braced herself, the feeling was icy and she hated having her mind penetrated, yet a deal is a deal.

"Legilimens." He whispered and Lenaya was flung back into her past. Images and sounds from different memories collided together as Snape tried to find the right one. A scream, a laugh, Lenaya watching a muggle kid from down the road. Her and the twins laughing and joking. Her and George hugging at King's Cross Station. Her being hit in the head by a gnome. Then finally, he had found the potions class, Lenaya was shivering. She always felt cold when someone was in her mind. It was how she could tell. Snape was in the memory now, in the back of the room, he watched himself teach through Lenaya's eyes. He felt her emotions and thoughts throughout the lesson and though there had been disappointment and anger, he could not find fear or intimidation. He released her. She was breathing hard and a bit of sweat was forming just at her hairline. Snape frowned. "I suppose you know me all too well. Or not at all." Snape nodded to the door, "Go on, you have charms next." Lenaya shot him a look, then collected her things and left for Flitwick.

She had taken her seat next to Hermione just before Flitwick was bout to shut the door. Charms had been relatively boring as all they did was take notes on the uses of certain charms and how waving your wand incorrectly could be hazardous. Hermione, of course, had more parchment with more notes then the rest of the class and at the end of lesson, she had walked up to the tiny professor and had asked if they could do levitating tomorrow. Flitwick said that it was well beyond the talents of a first year to do levitating spells on the second day. Hermione, surprisingly, did not tell Flitwick that her and Lenaya had already mastered the charm, but instead left the room grinning. A week later, Hermione was still fuming over Snape's unjust teaching their first lesson. She wasn't the only one either.

"Professor Snape is a gargoyle!" Exclaimed Hermione. Turning to Harry, who sat a few people down from her, she said, "Though, Harry, you would do well to read your school books before entering a professor's class like Lenaya and I do." Harry huffed and rolled his eyes and Ron shot her and Lenaya a dirty look. Lenaya sighed, Harry and Ron were good friends, however Hermione and the boys didn't exactly see eye to eye as she was too much of a know-it-all for their liking.

"Bloody Hell, mate, Snape was all over you! He was bang out of order, blaming you and Lenaya for Neville's potion." Ron said between shoving chicken legs in his mouth.

"I knew Snape had favourites, but I think he might hate me more then the other Griffindors." Harry said.

"Yeah, but if Neville keeps burning down his classroom, you won't have to worry about having _that_ position anymore." Lenaya added. Harry smiled but he looked troubled by their potions master. "Don't worry about that old git, Harry."

Just then Fred and George sat down oposite Lenaya and Hermione, "Not talking about ol'Batface are we?"

"He's a right tosser! Bloody man wouldn't give Harry room to breath." Ron explained, flinging around the chicken. Hermione wiped a bit of greasy skin from her book in disgust.

Fred said, "Ah, don't worry about him, Harry. He's just upset because he always wanted Quirrell's job."

"Though I doubt he would be any different as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." George added.

Lenaya kept quiet, though she laughed along with everyone else as they made jokes and impersonations at Snape's expense. When lunch was over, Fred and George showed the four to their next lesson which had been History of Magic with the ghost, Porfessor Binns. It was, by far, the most boring class as they did nothing but scribble down notes about Goblin uprisings, Red-cap invasions and several witches and wizards who had founded the first ministry. Lenaya had no interest in who created the first decree for underage wizardry and she had to keep herself from falling asleep several times. When they had gone to dinner, Lenaya couldn't help but overhear an argument between Malfoy and Harry. She didn't say anything, but she had heard that they had planned to duel by midnight. Hermione wore a very disapproving look, but if she had heard the same of if she was just watching Ron eat, Lenaya couldn't tell. Fred and George had learned earlier how to change the colour of their food and were showing off all through dinner. Neville had lost his appetite as Fred had turned his food and drink a sickly greenish colour. George informed Lenaya how she would love her third year because they were allowed to go to Hogsmead, the little village a few miles from the castle, during the weekends.

"-Then we can go to Honeydukes, they have the best sweets- Oh! and Zonko's joke shop, they have wicked stuff in there-" Lenaya grinned as George promised to take her to all the shops and bistros and even to go look at the Shrieking Shack.

After dinner they all went back up to their common rooms and many did their homework then retired for the night. Hermione, suspicious of Harry's plans, didn't go to her dormitory until he and Ron had. She had said goodnight to Lenaya and took her books up with her. As the hours dragged on no one was left in the common room except Fred, George, Lenaya and Lee Jordan. Fred and Lee played wizard's chess on the hearth and Lenaya and George talked about their ambitions in life.

"Fred and I want to open a jokes shop- Nice move, Fred." He said as Fred took out one of Lee's bishops. "Yeah, we experiment all the time, but we just need the money."

"I don't know what I want to do. Maybe be an auror. That would be cool. But don't worry, I'm sure you guys will figure something out. I would lend you some money but I don't really have any either." Lenaya said.

"At least you have new robes." George pointed out. "We have to ware Percy's or Charlie's. Bill's doesn't fit us yet, but I'm sure we're going to have to ware his soon too." Lenaya studied her robes.

"I don't have any siblings, this cost my dad a fortune that we don't have. He was not happy, he even told me he was going to complain to Dumbledore." Lenaya said. In fact, Snape had complained to Dumbledore about the cost of her things for school and had been given some extra galleons by the Headmaster to help pay for her as she wasn't even suppose to belong to Snape in the first place.

"Ha! Good for him." Fred laughed, crushing Lee's king. "Checkmate." After they put their pieces back together, Lee and Fred went up to their dormitories, leaving Lenaya and George to talk about their first week. Lenaya had already turned a match into a needle in transfiguration not two days ago, her and Harry were the second to accomplish the spell and McGonagall had awarded five points to Griffindor making up for their lost points from Potions. George and Fred were close to convincing Flitwick to giving them the charm which would make objects weight less and George told Lenaya about a map that they have been using to get around Hogwarts secretly. Though he had made her swaer to silence as he said Fred might get upset if George had said anything. Around ten, George said he was getting tired and he said goodnight and left. Lenaya stayed behind and was finishing her charms homework. She hid in the shadows as she heard noise from upstairs.

Harry and Ron were coming down from their dormitories. Hermione stalked behind them quietly. Harry and Ron got to the portrait when Hermione made her presence known. "Oy, you two can't honestly be thinking about sneaking out and going to duel Malfoy are you? You're mad!" Hermione said, crossing her arms. Harry and Ron stepped outside the portrait and Hermione followed still trying to talk them back inside the common room.

"Listen, I didn't expect you to understand this sort of thing, just go back!" Ron snapped.

The portrait closed and Lenaya walked over to try and hear through the painting. "You're going to get in trouble!"

"Look if you're so worried, come along." She heard Harry's annoyed compromise. Hermione must have followed them for that was the last thing she heard and Hermione didn't come back through the portrait hole. Lenaya sighed, they were going to loose Griffindor more points, but then again, Malfoy deserved whatever Harry was going to give him and then some. She waited up for little more then half an hour waiting for the three to come back. She watched the flames dance in the fireplace. Again, she saw the nightmarish spectre twirling with the same steps as the fire. The shriek, her hair, long and black and her wand twisting on her long fingers. Lenaya heard the portrait swing open. Harry stumbled in followed closely by Ron, then Hermione and finally Neville. They were all panting and had a suspicious lack of colour from their faces. "Well, that was something." Harry whispered.

"What do they think their doin'? Keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" Ron exclaimed angrily. Lenaya leaned in closer from her hiding place to hear better, what thing?

Now Hermione spoke, though her voice was a little shaky, "Honestly, you don't use your eyes do you, didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"I wasn't exactly looking at its feet!" Harry said, "I was too busy trying to avoid it's heads! There were three if you hadn't noticed!" Hermione looked exasperated and Lenaya looked at Neville who seemed as though he would never speak again. What had three heads?

"It was standing on a door, which means it wasn't there on accident." Hermione explained and Harry seemed to have understood.

"It was guarding something?" He whispered, Hermione nodded.

"Now I'm going to bed before either have another clever that will get us killed, or worse expelled." Hermione snapped. She walked briskly up to the dormitories. Ron watched stunned.

"She needs to sort out her priorties, mate." Harry nodded.

"You alright, Neville?" Harry asked.

Neville gave a small nod. "Th-think I-I might j-just go to bed. Th-thanks for getting m-me b-back here, b-by the w-way." He stepped slowly up the steps Hermione had just stomped up, with a white timid expression.

"Right, it's late." With that, Harry and Ron also retired for the night. Lenaya waited until she was sure Hermione was asleep before she too stood from her hiding place and tip-toed quietly into bed. Her dreams were full of ice, twirling black hair, and three-headed monsters.


	13. Brooms and Trolls

Whatever had happened the night before, Hermione was in no good mood when Ron or Harry were around and hadn't even bothered to correct any of their obvious mistakes at all the next day. Lenaya would often wait for Hermione to go to breakfast, however as she had gone to the library before anyone had woken up, and Lenaya, feeling surprisingly hungry, left her to her studies and followed Lavender and Pavarti down to the Great Hall.

She sat next to Harry but far away enough from him so Ron and Harry spoke to each other of the events of the night before, "Look at that git. Bloody surprised to see us, isn't he?" Ron said. Harry turned around and smiled bitterly to Malfoy who did look as though he could not believe his eyes. Lenaya overheard from Neville that morning while he was talking to Seamus, that Harry, Ron, him and Hermione all went to confront Malfoy but were surprised to find Filtch had been waiting for them. A horrible trap set by the young Malfoy.

"I'm not so much worried about Malfoy as I am about what's under that door." Harry said, picking at his eggs.

"It's either really dangerous, or really valuable." Ron said, jabbing his fork at Harry.

"Or both." Just then, owls from the upper windows soared in the deliver mail to their owners. Lenaya didn't receive mail, after all, the only person who would send her anything was sitting in the Great Hall this very moment and anything he wanted to say could be done so after class or in the evenings. Harry, Lenaya noticed, never received any mail either. However, today had been different, as today Harry's owl, Hedwig, along with several other owls, were flying straight at him carrying a long thin package. They dropped it in his opened hands and the rest of the Griffindor table all watched Harry, waiting. A letter had come with the package and Harry opened it first. He read it to himself then passed it to Ron, who beamed.

Once the excitement of Harry's large delivery had died down, Lenaya leaned over and asked, "Is it a broom, Harry?" Before Harry could answer, Fred and George sat down on either side of Lenaya.

"Of course it is!" Fred said, grinning.

"Yeah, how do you expect Harry to play Quidditch without a broom?" George said, also grinning. Ron and Harry shushed them looking around anxiously.

Ron looked annoyed, "Oh, come on! Harry's suppose to be a _secret_ weapon!" His whisper wouldn't have caused any attention had it not been so hostile.

"Come off it, Ron. Lenaya can keep a secret." Said George.

Fred added, "Besides, he's _our _secret weapon." Fred and George were Griffindor beaters on the Quidditch team. Oliver Wood, the team captain, had just told the twins that Harry was their new Seeker. "Well done, Harry. You must be the youngest seeker-"

"In a century." Harry finished proudly. "Wood told me."

Lenaya grinned at Harry and placed her hand encouragingly on his shoulder, "You're going to be brilliant. I just know it." Harry flushed and looked down at his breakfast.

A month later, Halloween had become the talk of the castle as Flitwick and McGonagall went around hexing and jixing things to jump out or come alive in order to frighten passing by students. It was all very exciting, however, Lenaya had the hardest time trying to be around Ron and Harry and Hermione all at once as it seemed the boys and Hermione simply refused to speak to one another. This proved rather inconvenient as Lenaya wished to help encourage Harry in Quidditch and be apart of helping with the games but whenever she would talk to him, Hermione refused to acknowledge her for the rest of the day. Lenaya never asked what had happened that night when the three and Neville had gone out, but she thought that it had something to do with Hermione's foul mood.

Halloween had come upon them quickly and Lenaya could not believe how much time she had already spent in Hogwarts. Apart from Hermione's mood, it had all been like a dream and though Lenaya could tell on occasion that Snape didn't much care for her being in Griffindor, she found her family here to be all encouraging and assuring as the days went by. Over her courses Lenaya had learnt as much as she thought humanly possible, however with a friend like Hermione, enough was never enough and Lenaya often found herself in the library or out in the courtyards practicing new spells and jinxes that the professor's had yet to teach them. However, as the whether became colder, Lenaya and Hermione spent less and less time outside and more and more in the library or even, on occasion practicing in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. This was of course when she was moping somewhere else.

Before the Halloween feast, Lenaya looked everywhere, however could not find Hermione at all. When she became distressed about the matter, Lavender informed her that Hermione was in the girl's bathroom and that she had been crying in there all day. Lenaya took a shortcut to the bathroom and she indeed did hear sobbing from within. She sighed and pushed the door opened quietly. "Hermione?" She called out softly. There was no answer, but Lenaya could hear her in one of the stalls. Lenaya walked over to the stall and found it had been locked, she placed her hand on the door.

"Hermione, please come out. You're going to miss the feast. Your first Hogwarts Halloween feast, how could you want to miss that?"

"Go away! I don't want to go, just leave me alone!" Hermione snapped.

In a softer, more peaceful tone, Lenaya questioned, "Why? What has happened to make you so upset?"

"Your stupid friends! I don't want to go anywhere where they are." Hermione thrust the sword into Lenaya, she had blamed it partly on her because she had been friends with Ron and Harry? "Now, leave me alone!"

Lenaya sighed, "Fine. Have it your way then." With that she left the bathroom and made her way to the Great Hall, though she doubted she would enjoy herself very much.

She sat with Fred and George. Fred talked mostly with Angelina and Lee Jordan and George was trying to teach Lenaya the charm to turn food a different colour. So far she had been able to nothing except give a carrot legs. The carrot had then hoped around the table and made itself comfortable in Ron's ginger hair. Ron wasn't too fused over it, he was slightly put down as Pavarti had told Ron and Harry where Hermione was and why. Lenaya had just told them and having Pavarti reprimand them as well didn't help their festive attitudes.

"She gets really emotional, it's alright. Just after the feast go and apologize." Lenaya said to Ron who was flipping the carrots off his plate as his new friend would pull at his hair whenever Ron tried to eat one.

"Apologize? Not likely, have you seen the way she acts towards me and Harry? I mean-"

However, before they had time to talk any further on the subject, the double doors burst wide open. Professor Quirrell stumbled through. Dumbledore and the others stood in alarm.

"Troll in the dungeon! Troll!" He screamed. Then before fainting, "Thought you ought to know." The Great Hall burst into chaos, screams and shouts of panic and fear. Dumbledore silenced them all but when Lenaya had looked up to find Snape, he was gone. The students had been ushered to their common rooms, however as Lenaya noticed Ron and Harry had gone missing throughout all the mayhem, Lenaya decided it was her turn to disappear.

She easily sneaked past Percy as Fred and George had hidden his glasses the night before and ran down into the dungeons. She had no idea what she was going to do but she had this urge, this pain to see Snape. As she swung open the potions room there was again nothing. She sat on her stool and decided to wait. She didn't want to be waiting in the common room while her father was battling a mountain troll with all the excited and happy faces of her fellow Griffindors, however waiting in the potions room did feel more comfortable, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. She waited and waited. Then, after what seemed like forever, the potions door opened. Snape staggered in alone. He had not noticed her until he reached his desk. He tried to stand upright, but Lenaya had watched him limp into the room.

He frowned at her and she frowned back, "What are you-?" Lenaya bent down and cleared away the robes in front of his leg. Then she jumped back with a gasp. Blood ran freely down his leg and filled his shoes. A gash, as wide and thick as Lenaya's arm, ran down the entire of Snape's leg. She got out her wand and Snape watched her as she waved it.

"Ferula." Bandages and a splint wrapped themselves around Snape's lower leg. She cast another spell to reduce the amount of blood flow. Her casting and knowledge of charms had improved quite drastically since the start of term, Hermione being a key factor in her success. She stood back up. "Never thought you would let a troll take a swing at you." She said quietly.

"It wasn't the troll." He sneered and limped to his chair and sat down. He sighed.

"Then what-" She thought and that night came to mind. "A three-headed beast? That sounds more plausible." Snape whipped his head to look at her. A mix of anger, pain and confusion lit his sallow face.

"How do you know of the dog? The third-floor corridor is out of bounds!" Snape snapped. However, Lenaya grinned. She hadn't known what or even where this beast was and now she did. She had never expected it to be so easy to find out from him.

"So, it's a dog? A three-headed dog? What is it doing here?" Snape looked taken aback and shook his greasy head, "Is it guarding something, Harry thinks-"

"Stop!" Snape ordered and Lenaya ceased with the question bombardment. "'Harry thinks?'" He repeated and a dread fell in her gut. "What exactly does Mr. Potter have in mind? Was he on the third floor, Lenaya?" Snape asked smoothly. Lenaya knew Snape would take any opportunity to get Harry into any sort of trouble and she had just given his a stick of dynamite.

Lenaya swallowed, "No. I mean, he never said he did and I never saw him in there and he never said anything about a dog." She stopped and Snape's gaunt face seemed twisted as though he were trying hard not to smile. She sighed and tried to grab some courage from the shadows around her, difficult as that was. "Tell me what happened." It was not a question, it was an order. The same tone she had heard her mother use so many times before and Snape seemed to have recognised it as well for he seemed to sober and then he too sighed.

"Yes, it is a three-headed dog. The grounds keeper's beast. It is guarding something, but Lenaya, students are not meant to know of him and-" Snape looked worried and tired.

"What happened." Again Lenaya demanded. She pierced him with her ice-blue eyes and he resigned.

"A troll, a distraction was set." Snape started.

"A distraction?" Lenaya whispered.

"Yes, for us teachers. Trolls are very thick creatures, you see. One couldn't have simply got in the castle without a fair amount of help. I believe that someone, someone in the castle, is trying to steal what that beast is guarding." Snapeended, he knew he had said too much, but at the moment he didn't care. The pain from his wound was blinding him and he was in no mood to argue with Lenaya.

"A teacher?" Lenaya questioned. "Who? Perhaps I could help-" Snape became suddenly tense.

"No. I will not let you go and put yourself in danger because I cannot catch him in the act. Dumbledore has set it as my task and I shall be the one to do it." Snape said and he did so coolly. Lenaya seemed to shrink back into the dark around them by his voice.

"So it's a him." She whispered defiantly. "Dumbledore seems to give you an aweful lot of 'tasks' to complete."

Snape groaned and rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be off to bed now?" Lenaya nodded. "Oh and Lenaya, if Potter does anything, _stupid_... You would do best to tell me. No good can come from you continuing your 'friendship' with the likes of him." It was not the first time Snape had warned against their friendship and Lenaya knew it certainly wouldn't be the last either. Snape had a pure hatred for the poor boy which Lenaya had no control over, though she had tried many times to make Snape see how good a person Harry was; of course with no avail.

Lenaya left the dungeons and made her way up to the Griffindor common room with surprisingly no interruptionsby Peeves and when the portrait door opened she had found that the rest of her house had been sent to the common room tp finish the feast by the roaring fire. Harry and Ron and Hermione were in the middle of the room, however they were not alone. Surrounding them were dozens of other Griffindors who were cheering and asking all sorts of questions.

"How d'you do it Harry?"

"Was it huge?"

"Did it have tusks?"

"What did it smell like?"

The three definitely looked overwhelmed by the crowd and so Lenaya pushed her way into the throng of jeering Griffindors. She pushed past Pavarti and turning to Hermione she huffed, "What is going on?" Hermione looked anxiously around then ducked under Ron and Seamus who were impersonating trolls while Harry waved his wand around at them. Hermione pulled Lenaya over to the fire where Fred and George and Lee Jordan sat. They seemed comfortable enough to get the story from their brother later when everyone else had calmed down.

"There had been a troll in the dungeons and somehow it got up to the upper floors." Hermione started. Fred and George leaned in, "Then it came into the girl's bathroom, oh Lenaya, it was the most terrifying thing ever! I was so frightened!"

"And?" Lenaya coaxed.

"Harry and Ron came in and they fought off the troll! Harry got onto his back and shoved his wand up his nose and Ron knocked him out! Then McGonagall and Dumbledore and Snape and Quirrell, they were furious! They came to the bathroom and well, after some calculations they actually ended up winning Griffindor five points!" Hermione exclaimed grinning. Fred and George clapped each others hands and Lee Jordan looked very impressed. The three went over to congratulate Harry and Ron like all the others. Lenaya was dumb-struck. Snape had failed to mention any of that. She shook her head and grinned.

"That's incredible! Are any of you hurt?" She asked.

Hermione smiled and shook her bushy hair. "No, we're fine. Here you want some?" Hermione handed her a plate of sandwiches. It was only then that Lenaya realized how hungry she had been. She took a sandwich happily and ate with Hermione on the settee.

"Hey, where were you?" Percy had come over and did not look too pleased in the least. At least Fred and George had shown him mercy and returned his glasses. Glasses which he now peered angrily down at her from.

"Erm, sandwich?" She held out a prawn and cucumber with a timid smile. Percy folded his arms. "Alright. If you must know, I was with Professor Snape, needed things for tomorrow's lesson?" She lied. Percy didn't seem to believe her but before he could reprimand her further, his glasses disappeared again. Fred and George had their wands out and were smiling mischievously in the corner. Percy altogether forgot about Lenaya and proceeded to chase his little brothers all around the common room and the dormitories. Hermione, who was all for the rules like Percy, set her sandwich down and frowned.

"Where were you then, Lenaya?" Lenaya groaned and stood.

"Listen, it's late and you should probably get to bed more-so then anyone else." Lenaya said. Hermione too folded her arms and frowned deeper. She had a tendency to be rather annoying when she didn't get her way, however she did seem tired and instead of arguing she followed Lenaya grudgingly back up to the dormitories and went to bed without complaint. Though she did do an awful lot of grunting and shooting of looks. It took over an hour for Lenaya to fall asleep, she kept thinking of that beast and what it could be guarding. Most of all she was worried that whoever was trying to get at said mystery object might hurt Snape in his attempts. He had already risked the safety and well-fair of students, young children. What would he do if Snape, an older, less valuable man, stood before him? She fell into a fitful sleep of monsters and three-headed men with glistening red eyes.


	14. Wars

The next week, Lenaya found herself spending many of her classes alone and her free time with Fred and George when they weren't busy as Hermione seemed to have attached herself to Harry and Ron and one was seldom seen without the other two. Lenaya guessed that one could not help but be friends with someone who saved your life from something so big as a fully grown mountain troll and though Hermione talked to her less and less and she felt somewhat lonely at times, she could not blame her. Lenaya was happy for Hermione and she still got help on her homework from her if she asked nicely. As Hermione became more involved in the lives of her new friends, Snape became more involved in capturing his teacher whom he suspected of trying to steal whatever the dog was guarding and was only found in his office on occasion.

Though Hermione spent more and more time with her new friends, Lenaya could not help but feel grateful as now Lenaya could speak to all three without having to worry of upsetting Hermione. "You ready, Harry?" Lenaya asked the pale boy next to her. He had not eaten any of his breakfast and looked as though he were about to be sick. It was the day of the first match against Slytherin, the first Quidditch match of the season. Harry gulped.

Ron and Hermione were sitting on the other side of the table eating their breakfast. Ron forked a sausage off of Harry's plate. Hermione hit his arm with her book, "Stop it! Harry needs all the strength he can get."

Snape limped over and glared at the trio then rolled his eyes as he looked at Lenaya. Harry watched as he limped away and turned to Ron, Hermione and Lenaya with a sudden urgency. "I think it was Snape." He whispered.

"What?" Asked Hermione.

Harry nodded, "I think it was Snape who set the troll loose Halloween and then he tried to get past that three-headed dog on the third floor. Whatever that dog is guarding, Snape's trying to get it." Lenaya had heard Harry's theory of Snape trying to kill him through heavy work loads, trying to poison him when Harry got a stomach ache after being in potions, and even of Snape once being apart of Voldemort's plots to take over, but this was ridiculous.

Lenaya shook her head, "Don't be silly, Harry. Snape wouldn't try and steal whatever it is down there. Why would a teacher-" She cut off remembering that a teacher _was_ the person trying to get into the door under the dog anyway.

"Look it makes sense-" Harry started.

"No, it doesn't, Harry. Lenaya's right, Snape's a teacher. Why would anyone try and do anything with Dumbledore around, let alone a teacher?" Hermione said smugly as Harry shut his mouth and she won the argument.

By eleven all of the students and most of the teachers were out in the Quidditch pitch ready for the game. This was the first match of any Quidditch Lenaya would be able to watch without having to hide in the bushes from Snape or any other students as Snape never let her in the pitch before. Lenaya was so excited her hands were shaking and she accidentally dropped the binoculars Ron had handed her on Neville's big toe. "Oh, sorry, Neville." She picked up the binoculars and followed Ron and Hermione up the stairs to the stands where they would soon be watching Harry for the first time playing Quidditch.

"I heard your brothers are all really good at Quidditch, Ron. Are you any good?" Lenaya said while trying to move around Hagrid.

"Oh, yeah my family's all good at the game, I'm alright, but no where near as good as Fred, George or Charlie. They're bloody brilliant." Ron looked through his binoculars and pointed down at the pitch, "Look, there they are!" From opposite ends of the pitch came streaming red and gold robes and then green and silver. As they were so high up, they couldn't tell who was who just yet, but they could all see Harry as he was the shortest. The students roared with applause and shouts. The deafening sound pierced her ear drums and pumped her full of adrenaline. She screamed with the crowd and clapped loudly.

"And they're off! Alicia Spinnet with the quaffel!" Lee Jordan spectated.

The game was riveting and she watched every twist and turn with greedy, excited eyes. She wanted more and she screamed and cheered and booed with the other Griffindors. She clapped louder then any when Fred or George beat away oncoming bludgers. She cheered with amusement as Fred whacked a bludger right at Marcus Flint, the Sytherin team captain. All was just as brilliant and she was having the best time ever. That is, until Harry's broom began to have a mind of it's own.

It swerved back and forth and back and forth, spinning and twisting and the Griffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws all screamed out in fear and concern. It was only the Slytherins who seemed to find the frightening sight amusing as they clapped and cheered at Harry, who was now only holding on by his hands as both legs had lost their grip and he was dangling dangerously high. Fred and George flew cautiously under him, ready to catch him should he let go. Fred sent an angry bludger at Flint's head as he began chanting, 'Drop drop drop'. The bludger found it's mark and the Slytherin captain fell, though no one noticed as Harry was thrown here and there by the mutinous broom. Hagrid shouted out that Harry's broom must have been tampered with and Hermione gasped.

"It's Snape!" Lenaya and Ron turned their attention away from Harry and gave Hermione a quizzical look. Hermione pointed across the stands where Snape sat with the other teachers. "Here, look!" She handed the binoculars to Ron. Looking through them, he gave an angry groan and gave them to Lenaya to look through.

She took them timidly, not knowing what she would see or what to expect. Snape would never do anything like try and kill a student, even if it was Harry Potter. She swallowed and against her better judgment, looked through the binoculars. She looked for Snape and then, there, sitting amongst the other teachers, he was starring, unblinkingly, at Harry and his lips were moving, quickly, very quickly. She took the binoculars away from her face and shook her head in disbelief. "Snape can't be doing this, no."

Hermione tossed her hair defiantly, "No, look. You can't blink while performing a spell, there has to be eye contact. At least while doing a spell powerful enough to tamper with a broom!" Looking around and back at Harry, she said quickly, "I'll be right back, keep an eye on Harry." Then she was gone without another word. Lenaya glanced worriedly between Snape and Harry, who was dangerously close now to falling as his broom continued it's violent rampage. After what seemed like forever of waiting, Harry's broom came to a still. Harry waited, apparently gauging whether or not it was safe to get back on, then swung his right leg over and he set off. The three houses who weren't jeering, clapped loudly as Harry sped high above the pitch seeking out the snitch.

Lenaya clapped but was still concerned about what she had seen through the binoculars. She looked through them again and saw that Snape had been set aflame and was no longer forming any incantations. He heart sunk.

"Is Harry okay?" Hermione asked as she reappeared besides them.

Ron nodded, "Yeah he's great, look there!" Harry made a dive and a loop-de-loop then continued looking down at the pitch expectantly for the snitch. "What did you do anyway?"

Hermione shrugged and Lenaya noticed she was blushing a little, "Distracted Snape."

Ron grinned, "You know sometimes you can be dead scary, but that was bloody brilliant!" The three watched Harry and the rest of the Griffindor team and cheered loyally the rest of the game as several chasers managed to take the quaffel and score for Griffindor. Then Harry took a sharp nose dive and there was an intake of anxious breath as the crowd watched him dive further and further until it looked as though he would collide chin first into the dirt below.

Harry fell off his broom and there was a roar of triumph as Harry had the snitch. He had won Griffindor the game.

In the common room, Lenaya pushed through the crowds after Hermione and Ron had had their go at congratulating their best friend. "That was brilliant Harry, you're the greatest seeker ever!" Harry flushed as she grabbed him and kissed either sides of his reddened face. The twins appeared later with stolen food from the kitchen, mainly puddings and pastries, and the Griffindor common room was well alive and partying far into the night.

Lenaya went to bed early, not wanting to celebrate any longer and definitely not wanting to visit the man in the dungeons after today. It seemed the students who had known her before had forgotten all about the years when she would sit in Snape's classes and when he would give her treats during the lessons while making students soil themselves. He had become just as hard and cold to her as he was to the other Griffindors. Her visits to his dungeons were less and less as there was little to tell him of her days that he wanted to hear due to the fact that the name _Potter _was a very bad word. She would tell him all about the twins and her other lessons but he seemed more and more preoccupied lately. Of course it didn't help her feelings for him when after every potions class Harry would bring up his theory about how Snape was trying to steal whatever the dog was guarding. Hermione had accidentally told Lenaya that the dog's name was Fluffy and so from then on the three had told her what they knew when they had found out anything which, so far, was very little.

Over the many weeks between then and Christmas, the teachers seemed to show a sever lack in mercy as the homework loads piled on with Snape being worst out of them all. His homework's required the students to run around the castle and all over the grounds to find the oddest assortment of potion ingredients possible and as the weather became drastically colder and colder, Snape's homework was becoming increasingly more difficult to complete. One mid-December morning, the castle found itself in several thick inches of pure white snow and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lenaya found themselves trudging around in the bitter cold looking for _icilicies_, a type of plant which only flowered in this precise cold. Of course she would have much rather been inside with the twins but then homework must be completed and Harry Ron and Hermione were the only ones in their year that seemed to take any actual interest in her.

"I don't see how you're passing his class, when you don't even get all the necessary ingredients!" Hermione grunted as she pulled on a glowing blue flower, she fell back as the flower refused to be picked.

"I guess I'm just lucky." Lenaya murmured as she pulled the flower out for Hermione. Ron scoffed.

"Lucky? Bloody Hell, no one is lucky in that git's class." A snow ball flew from the air and hit Ron right on his red cheek. A muffled laughter came from the bushes and Ron threw a handful of snow to try and hit Harry. "Besides, he hates Griffindors. You got to be doing something right, maybe you're secretly better at potions then Hermione is." Hermione couldn't hide her offense and tried pulling out another glowing blue flower as more snow flew from across the bushes. A massive snowball hit Ron with so much force that he actually toppled over and when he finally got to his feet, Ron jumped into the bushes and nothing but grunts and the violent squishing of snow could be heard from the other side. Within minutes the four of them were in the world's deadliest snowball fight the likes of which none had ever known. Hermione had been practicing her glacious spell and anyone who tried to have a whack at her suddenly found themselves within a tornado of ice and snow. The ruckus caused by their play drew the mischievous attention of Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson and soon the war became nothing less then a flurry of snow and ice and screams and grunts.

Hours later they found themselves divided into two teams, Fred, George, Lee Jordan and Angelina had situated themselves behind a massive wall of ice while Lenaya, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Alicia guarded themselves behind several thick trees. The battle commenced and none were left alive. The nine Griffindors waltzed into the entrance hall, soaking, exhausted and in great spirits. After being reprimanded by Filtch for bringing in so much water and for looking too happy about it, they went off and changed and came back down to eat dinner greedily as the battle had left them famished.

"That was brilliant!" Exclaimed the twins together as Ron recalled Harry being pummeled by everyone at once.

"Core, Lenaya! You really have an arm on you, look at this mark!" George rolled up his sleeve to reveal a fairly large looking purple circle. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry." She patted his arm and took a swig of pumpkin juice. She glanced up at the teacher's table and found Snape. He was looking at her direction, but not at her. He was starring coolly at Harry and the menacing look in his eye made Lenaya turn away and try to enjoy her friends without thinking about him as much as possible. Harry never noticed and no one else seemed to either as the table broke out in carols and jingles. The other houses joined in Griffindor's singing, all except for Slytherin, who sneered, disgusted by the other houses enjoyment.

At the end of the feast, Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Lenaya and Hermione made their happy way up to the Griffindor common room. Exhausted, they set out for bed immediately. The twins gave a friendly hug to Lenaya and Hermione and tussled Ron and Harry's hair as they went to their dormitories. "G'night guys!" Lenaya called to the two boys as they entered their dormitories too.

Hermione clambered into her night gown and Lenaya did as well though she felt so tired she didn't think she would have the strength left to get it over her head. In fact mid-way she stopped and giggling, Hermione waved her wand and the night gown shot down her head and nearly suffocated Lenaya with it's speed. "Thanks." She laughed and rolled onto her bed. The other first year girls had yet to come to bed and so it was just Hermione and Lenaya. "Are you going home for the holidays then?" Lenaya asked Hermione.

She nodded, "I got loads of moving pictures to show my parents, Muggles don't have that sort of thing, and I've got loads to tell them. It'll be great, though I wish they could come here instead of me going home. Are you going home?"

Lenaya scoffed, "No, don't have much of a home to go to really."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hermione said and Lenaya smiled and shook her head.

"No, don't worry about it." Hermione seemed to think for a second then she watched Lenaya carefully as though deciding something.

"Well, if you're going to be here you can help Harry. He needs to do some research on a Nicholas Flamel." She said laying down on her stomach so she was facing Lenaya across the small room.

Lenaya frowned, "Nicholas Flamel? Care to extrapolate for us?"

"Well, we don't really know who he is actually. We went to see Hagrid the other day, we were going to get you but you were in the dungeons, and we told him about how we think Snape is trying to get whatever is under the third floor-" Lenaya sighed. "He didn't believe us either, but he did say that what was under that trap door was only to do with Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

"So naturally, you want to know more about this mysterious Flamel character." Lenaya finished for her. Hermione nodded. "Yeah, course I'll help out." With that they smiled and said their good-nights as Pavarti and Lavender entered giggling about some Hufflepuff boy. After their long, playful day, Lenaya fell asleep quickly and for the first time in weeks, she had a restful sleep with no nightmare or terrifying images or shrieks. For the first time in weeks, she felt comfortable and safe.


	15. Snakes and Pink Shampoo

It was now the day when all of the students who were leaving for home were busy packing and sorting out their things. The castle was unnaturally quiet as the rest of the inhabitants played various board games or read as the whether outside would not allow for much or any play there. Harry and Ron had made themselves busy by playing several games of wizard's chess by the fire at the Griffindor table in the Great Hall. Fred and George were in the Great Hall as well practicing their sparkler toss. This was when one would conjure a ball of fireworks and throw it to the other while trying to make it flip or spin, of course they had to try not to get burned in the process. Lenaya sparred them all glances, but was far more interested in her book Snape had given her to read, _The Week the Moon Was Full_. It really was a riveting tale of a werewolf who tries to fight his affliction, weather it was fiction or not Snape would not tell her, though Hermione had said that she had never heard of a werewolf named Hoppit Pops.

Lenaya peered over her book at Harry who groaned in defeat. Ron's bishop had just obliterated Harry's king and him and the rest of the pieces were now preforming a victory jig. Lenaya laughed as a pawn hopped off the board and grabbing her finger, knelt low and made a motion that would suggest he was trying to kiss her hand. "Alright, alright, get back in line." Commanded Ron.

"Hello all!" Hermione said cheerfully as she walked over to the table. Lenaya closed her book. "Shouldn't you be packing?" Hermione asked Ron with a sideways glance at the dangerous twins.

"Change of plans actually, my parents are going to visist my older brother Charlie; we're staying here." Ron said holding out his arms indicating to the other red-headed boys.

"Then you can help Harry and Lenaya look for Nicholas Flamel." With that Hermione wished them a happy Christmas and left the Great Hall with a bright, cheery smile.

Ron groaned, "Core, that's just what I wanted. Homework over the holidays."

Harry, Ron and Lenaya all walked with Hermione down to Hogsmead station and saw her off as she boarded the train headed for London. The rest of the week after had been very dull and uneventful, and though they had made several attempts at finding this illusive Nicholas Flamel, they were nowhere nearer to having any answers. As Harry and Ron were helping Fred and George pull a Christmas prank on Filtch, which involved a lot of custard and Mrs. Norris, Lenaya took this opportunity to visit a certain professor.

She skipped through the now empty corridors and down the cold stairs. She rapped on the heavy, wooden door and the familiar silky, 'Enter', beckoned her in. Though she had had her doubts about Snape within the last year it didn't mean she couldn't try to get him into the holiday mood. Besides, she hoped that she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't try ad hex her broom whilst she was riding it. At least, she hoped.

She opened the door, "Happy Almost Christmas!" She held her arms up wide over her head and grinned. Snape said nothing, he was by his glowing shelves and was trying to organize them this time by size, last time was by colour. "Fine, don't have spirit." She said with fake disappointment. Snape sighed.

Lenaya was in a surprisingly happy and almost hyper mood and she sat on one of the stools and spun herself around, "So what do you want for Christmas?" Snape didn't reply at first, instead the clinking of glass was his only answer.

"The same thing I want every year." He said dryly.

"Hmm, well I don't no if I can give you universal silence any more so this year than I could any other year. You know Hermione Granger? She's a tad bit jealous that I have better marks in potions then she does. Do you have favourites, _Professor_?" Lenaya said spinning around.

"No." He said slowly, then continued to sort out his jars.

"Uh huh. So, really what do you want for Christmas?" She asked now more urgently. When he simply refused to answer altogether, Lenaya took the hint and huffing all the way, she stood from the stool and marched out of the potions room and up the stairs. Then, an idea as brilliant as day popped into her mind, she had only been given enough money to buy one large gift or two smaller gifts and if Snape refused to be specific he would have to be happy with a smaller gift, if in fact Snape could ever be happy indeed. So taking the steps two at a time, Lenaya made her way up, up, up, the castle until she almost ran straight into Professor McGonagall.

"Oh! Where on Earth do you think you're going in such a hurry, Miss Lenaya?" The teachers who knew of Lenaya's story, such as McGonagall, often refused to call her by her last name and so were content with calling her just 'Miss Lenaya'. This didn't bother Lenaya at all, in fact she had preferred it that way.

"Sorry, Professor! Sorry. I was just going to see Professor Dumbledore." She explained and McGonagall look skeptical.

"Professor Dumbledore?" She repeated.

Lenaya nodded, "Yes, ma'am. See, I wanted to know if there was anything I could get him for Christmas." McGongall raised an eyebrow. Lenaya sighed, "Well, I got him a book last year and I suppose that wasn't the smartest thing to do. I mean who's to say if he's read a book or not, and if you ask him, the surprise is ruined. So this year I want to know what he really wants. Honestly, Professor I don't remember ever having to explain myself before to go and see the Head." She sighed.

"That was before you were a student. No favourites." McGonagall said strictly.

Lenaya nodded, "I know ma'am. But are cheerful students really a danger to Professor Dumbledore?" She grinned happily and she could have sworn she saw McGonagall smile.

"Alright, go on. Severus may be gloomy, but you've seem to have enough cheer to make up for him." With that she waved her up the stairs but then called after her, "Oh, Miss Lenaya! The password is Peppermint Canes." Lenaya nodded and ran up the stairs. She skipped up to the gargoyle and grinned.

"Peppermint Canes." the gargoyle leapt aside, and Lenaya skipped up the stairs which were now moving upward not unlike that of an elevator. When she came to the large wooden door, she knocked quietly and waited patiently until the soft and kind 'enter' beckoned her in.

She opened the door to find Dumbledore sitting behind his desk reading a very large and heavy looking book. Dumbledore smiled up at her, his blue eyes twinkling. "Lenaya, what a pleasant surprise!" Dumbledore waved his hand to one of the chairs in front of his desk, "Come, sit."

Though she suspected it was hardly possible to surprise Dumbledore, Lenaya took the very seat she had taken all those years ago when this was the first place other than Hell she had seen and she smiled at the old wizard. "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asked warmly. Lenaya loved the way his very voice made her feel safe and comfortable.

"I was wondering what you may want for Christmas?" She asked and Dumbledore smiled.

Chuckling he asked, "And so did Severus refuse to tell you what _he _wanted for Christmas?" Lenaya frowned.

"Yes." She huffed, "He's a dead party-pooper. All he wants is universal silence. He gets that doesn't he though? In his creepy dungeons all day, every day. But, I'll get him something." She thought, "Yes, something interesting." She smiled mischievously and Dumbledore chuckled again.

"I could not have wished for the two of you to have gotten along so very well." He said happily.

"Anyway, he's not why I'm here. You are. Please, is there anything you want me to get you for Christmas?" She asked and Dumbledore sat back in his chair with his thin hands folded as though he were in prayer.

"There _is _something." Lenaya smiled. "But you needn't waste young Severus' well-earned gold on it." Lenaya frowned.

"Not silence is it?" She asked and Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling again.

"No, no. Not silence. Something very important to me. I ask of you, only this. That you keep a watchful eye over young Harry Potter for me." Lenaya raised her brow. "I fear, though he is infallibly like his mother in so many regards, he has inherited his father's knack for trouble. Will you do this for me, for Christmas, Lenaya?" She sat and thought it over, then smiled.

Nodding, she said, "Of course I will. And it will give me the excuse to hang around him. Father doesn't much care for us being friends."

"No, I don't suppose he would." He said thoughtfully. "But thank you. I believe that is all I wish for this Christmas, little Lenaya."

With that Dumbledore nodded her out and she smiled and skipped down the stairs. Through the hundreds of narrow, empty, cold, silent staircases Lenaya skipped, unperturbed by any ghost or irksome Slytherin, to the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Faticus Dracous." The portrait swung open. The large room was unnaturally empty and quiet. The paintings which hung around the gold and scarlet slept contently and there was silence. Silence apart from...

"GIVE THEM BACK!" Fred and George hopped down the last several steps from the stone stairs which lead up to the dormitories and leapt over the settee and stood waiting to pounce. Percy, whose vision was not its best due to a lack of glasses, stumbled down the last step and bellowed at his twin brothers, "YOU GIVE THEM HERE!" The paintings around the room awoke with a start and starred as Fred pranced around Percy, whose face was a deep shade of purple giving him the resemblance to an angry radish with his red hair.

Fred laughed and twirled around his brother's flailing arms, he tossed the glasses into the air and George jumped to catch them. Fred taunted, "Oh, come now brother!"

George added, "Where's your Christmas cheer gone?" The glasses flew through the air and though Percy was taller then his brothers, he could not see them until it was too late and he missed every time.

Lenaya giggled though felt sorry for the poor Weasley and taking mercy on him, she pulled out her wand and waving it said, "Accio." the glasses flew from mid-air and landing gracefully in her opened hands. She handed them to Percy, "Here." He shoved them roughly onto this purple face and with pursed lips, strode from the common room angrily.

Fred put a finger to his nose and pretended to be walking out of the room with his chin higher then his brother's head. The twins laughed, "Well that was fun." Fred commented.

"What now, Fred?" George asked.

"Filtch?" Fred suggested and the two clapped hands and together they hopped out of the portrait hole following their dear brother. Lenaya shook her head laughing at her friends. This had to be the greatest place in all the world, wizarding or not. Laying on the settee, she pick up some random book a student had neglected to put away from the floor and began reading by the roaring fire.

While she was reading, she came across a term she had never heard of before, _Parseltongue_.

_The ability for one to speak to a snake or serpent of any kind. The language of the Snake. To speak Parseltongue will lead one to have limited control of snake or serpent. The first recorded case of Parseltongue was that of the Parenthose family, Parseltongue is inherited and is a gift one is born with. The next family to have been known with the gift of the language of snakes was the Slothen then Slytherin. For more records of families and occurrences of Parseltongue, turn to page 675._

Lenaya shut the book, Slytherin was a Parseltongue. She starred into the fire and saw dancing serpents of wicked flame. Could it have passed to her? The text had said the gift was inherited. She couldn't remember a snake or a sign, she couldn't remember anything to do with any Parseltongue but there was something nagging at her. Something she knew she had heard but nothing that made sense. However, the problem had to have been solved later as Harry and Ron entered the common room, laughing and joking.

"There you are!" Harry exclaimed. "Come on, the feast is starting!" Without giving snakes a second thought, Lenaya hopped down the staircase and Harry Ron and Lenaya entered the shiny Great Hall. Christmas Eve feasts were always splendid, and Fred and George made a toast to the teachers who sat with the remaining students for the feast.

"To our esteemed Headmaster-" Fred began, holding up his chalice of pumpkin juice.

"And honorable deputy-headmistress-" George added. The teachers sat forward in anticipation.

"As we will be incapable of remembering our speech tomorrow, due to sugar, presents, E-numbers, so on and so forth-" Fred waved his hand to indicate forever.

"We decided to bore you today." George held up his chalice. Dumbledore smiled.

Now they spoke together in a harmony so perfect it could have had to have been rehearsed hundreds of times. "My your hats stay pointy, your wands stay sharp, your endeavors succeed and your courage never falter whilst dealing with us Weasleys-" Ron cheered then sat back down quickly much to the amusement of the teachers.

"May your classes be interesting, unless you're a ghost. And may time not make your bum sag the most!" There was clapping as the Weasleys took a bow. "And to show you all our appreciation for educating our small and simple red-headed minds, we have left a present under all of the chairs which now house your over achieving rumps!" With that they twisted their arms and drank from their chalice's. The rest of the hall cheered and clapped and the teachers looked under their chairs and pulled up uniquely wrapped packages, all different sizes and colours.

McGonagall opened hers first, a jar of cat-nip with an emerald green lid was under her emerald wrapping. She gave the most rare of laughs and turned to see Flitwick holding a blue stepladder. Dumbledore was given the world's longest silver comb, which he was now using happily on his long silver beard. Professor Sprout was given a shovel with seven heads, each a different earthen colour. It was only when Snape opened his package did Fred and George stand silent, the rest of the hall as well went quiet and everyone, including the teachers, watched Snape. He ripped his black wrapping slowly, obviously not enjoying the attention he was receiving. Under the festive paper was a large bottle of bright pink, strawberry scented bottle of shampoo.

Were it not Snape, the hall would have burst into thunderous laughs, cheers and applause. However, because it was the tall, intimidating potions master they were looking at, the hall held in stiffened snickers and chuckles as he threw the bottle back under his chair, disgusted. Though the rest of the hall had gone silent, it was Dumbledore who only dared to laugh at Snape. The rest of the hall found this as their safe guard and the chatting and merry making continued. After the feast the students went to their common rooms.

The rest of the evening was spent playing wizard's chess or exploding snap. Percy tried to tell a Christmas story about a witch, but when he had described the witch as having poor dental care, Ron suggested she go and see a dentist and the rest of the room laughed; though Percy did not. Percy was acting surprisingly not as uptight as usual and their fun-having was cut short as Percy began trying to sing, _A Witche's Icy Love. _At nine, when he had reached half-way through the first verse the twins, Ron, Harry and Lenaya declared themselves extremely tired and retired for the night.

Lenaya, though she had no want to hear Percy finish that song, felt lonely in her dormitory. The other girls had left and gone to see their families for the holidays, the twins had gone back to India to visit their grandparents with their mum and dad and Lavender had gone to Bath for Christmas to visit her aunts and cousins. Hermione of course had gone home and as she was the only child in her family and was eager to share what she had learnt. Lenaya could not blame any of them at all, there was nothing to blame after all.

As she lay in the empty, silent room on her bed, she couldn't fall asleep. She didn't feel right, there was something, something which had been nagging at her for weeks and she couldn't shake it. It was this whole business. Snape, the dog, this thing, the thief, and now she had the urge to find a snake and say, 'Hi, how do you do?'. It was too much and even though it was only hours until Christmas, she couldn't find it in her to shut her eyes. She stood and grabbed her robe. She looked at the clock above the door, eleven o'clock. She put her robe on and stepped out the door.

She had never wandered the castle at night, at least never this late before and without reason. She sighed and ran her fingers down the stone walls of the empty corridors. No sound or footstep, no whisper or murmur of the night disturbed her pointless walk. She stepped slowly and took in every detail and aspect of the walls and ceiling, like she had the very first night she had visited the castle. It was peaceful and the walk, at least for a few minutes, seemed to clear her mind of the heavy load weighing on her shoulders. She took meaningless turns and shortcuts and she didn't exactly know where she was going or even where exactly she was, but for the moment, she didn't care. She took a shortcut which George had told her about, but one she had never used herself, then suddenly found herself in a peculiar room she had never been in before.

It was large and looked like it could have been an old classroom which had not been used in years. Dust clung to several old chairs and spare bits of parchment littered the stone floors. Pillars decorated the room in rows and as she looked around, she saw the room was not empty at all. In fact, behind a row of pillars stood a tall, dusty, golden mirror with clawed feet. Above the glass was an inscription, Latin words. She had never learned the language and so the words were meaningless, yet the mirror intrigued her. She ran her fingers along the golden frames and found it was not as cold as the walls around them were. It was warm, or warmer than their surroundings anyway. Stepping back, she looked properly into the mirror. She noticed her sunken eyes, and her hair was a bit messy, and then...

A shape, a shadow. She turned around, nothing was there. She looked back into the mirror and gasped. There, standing before her was a tall, thin, beautiful woman. Bellatrix Lestrange, only not Bellatrix Lestrange. This woman was slightly shorter and not as pale. She had not known the suffering and confines of Azkaban or the threat of the dementor's kiss and nor, did it seem she had known the cold-hearted thoughts of prejudice and hate or murder. This woman, also unlike Bellatrix, had ice-blue eyes and a wide, warm, kind smile. She was not alone either. By her side stood a tall face-less man and holding her hand was a small, also-faceless child. The family looked happy and though she could not see their faces, Lenaya somehow knew that the other two were the most beautiful people she had ever seen. Occasionally checking behind her shoulders, she sat and watched the happy family for hours. Hours until...

"Having trouble sleeping, Lenaya?" The voice was warm and soft and Lenaya needn't look around to know who it had belonged to. However, she would not show her Headmaster any disrespect. She stood and faced Dumbledore sheepishly. Though she was out of bed, far beyond curfew, Dumbledore did not look cross or angry at all. Instead, he was smiling at her.

"Yes, sir." She answered. He stepped forward.

Ignoring the fact that she was a student and that she should have been punished, he said, "Ah, the Mirror of Erised. A fascinating object, is it not?" He brushed his hand down the dusty frame and smiled down at the confused Lenaya with twinkling eyes. "What has it shown you, Lenaya?"

She thought and said, "Myself, but I'm older and there are others. People that I don't know." She looked back into the mirror then to Dumbledore, "And, I'm- Happier." Dumbledore smiled.

"Well?" He prompted kindly.

Again, Lenaya took a moment and thought, "So, the mirror- It shows you what you- the future?" Dumbledore smiled again but shook his head.

"No, though I could see why you would think that. No, instead, the mirror shows us our deepest and truest desires. The happiest man on Earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly the way he is." He acknowledged Lenaya as she took in what he had said. "You see yourself, older, independent, and with the family you have never known. All your life you have felt like a liability, your mother thought you as such and then I force Severus to take you in, this is why you desire yourself to be independent and in charge of your own future. Your husband, and your child." Lenaya understood, yet she said nothing.

"Is there something that is bothering you, Lenaya? A reason you couldn't sleep?" Lenaya considered telling the old wizard about the what they knew about the dog and how she was considering the fact that Snape had tried to kill Harry, she even thought about telling him that her friends thought Snape was going to steal whatever was hidden in the castle. But instead of telling any of those things, she settled for the more innocent conversation.

"Why is Slytherin's emblem a snake?" She asked very quietly. Dumbledore was quiet and he looked as though he had thought this question would arise eventually.

"Salazar Sltherin, was a parseltongue. He could speak to snakes. Why do you ask?" Dumbledore eyed her as though he already knew the answer.

Lenaya licked her lip, "I heard, a long time ago, Bellatrix, she was gloating about _his_ heritage. How _he_ was a direct descendant of Slytherin." Dumbledore smiled. "Then, earlier today I read that the gift of the language of snakes can only be inherited, and-"

"And you are curious? Or afraid, that you might have that gift?" Dumbledore interrupted her.

She nodded, "A little of both, actually. How, can I tell?"

Dumbledore raised his brow and shrugged. Then he pulled out his long wand and waved it. A snake slithered from the tip and dropped to the stone floor with a soft _plop_. Lenaya gasped and jumped back. She glanced between Dumbledore and the snake. Dumbledore leaned forward and whispered, "I suggest you say, 'hello'." He nodded and the snake hissed violently, slithering toward her.

Lenaya bit her lip and knelt down to the snake, she pulled a strand of hair away from her face and looked into the snake's yellow eyes. "Hello?" she asked. The snake seemed to freeze, then slowly, lifted its spade-like green head. It blinked, it's bright yellow eyes peered into her own blue pools. Then, a sound, as though the snake were clearing it's throat.

"Hello." the snake hissed and Lenaya fell back, terrified. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore cleared to room of the talking snake and helped her back up to her feet.

Without warning, tears began to spill from her eyes and an overwhelming sense of doom sunk upon her from the shadowed ceiling above. "You are afraid." Dumbledore stated. She nodded.

"So I'm just like him. I don't want to be like him, I-" Dumbledore smiled and tilted her chin up so their blues eyes met.

"But you are not like him, not in the least. Your fear of being so proves it." She shook her head.

"No, the sorting hat wanted to put me into Slytherin house, not in Griffindor. I belong there, where he was." Lenaya sobbed.

It was now Dumbeldore's turn to shake his head, "You are in Griffindor, because you do belong there. You, like another, chose Griffindor over Slytherin. This proves you have control over who you are, who you do and don't want to be is entirely your decision."

"Like another? Who else was going to be placed in Slytherin?" Lenaya asked, she could not think of anyone in her house that acted anything at all like a Slytherin.

"Harry Potter. You two are a lot alike. However, he chooses to be more like his family and you choose to set yourself as far away from them as possible. I am very proud of you for using Lord Voldemort's name. I would expect you to fear it, like so many others have." Lenaya nodded. She was different than him, and she wasn't going to let one similarity turn her away from the path she had chosen for herself. "Evil does ot worry about being evil." Lenaya stopped her tears. "Now, it is late. And I believe there are presents to be opened in the morning." He took her by the hand and led her back the way she had came and back up the stairs and through various corridors. She felt like she had the first night she had been here, only now she felt heavier. She had a lot of decisions to make in her life, more-so than the average child, and she was suddenly jealous of Harry who never knew his parents at all. Who was only given the good stories from others about them, who never had to know their failure or shame. Dumbledore bid her goodnight and a happy Christmas and left her outside the portrait hole.

"Holly and Tinsel." The tired Fat Lady swung open and Lenaya, now feeling ready to sleep, made her way to the empty bed she found so comfortable.


	16. Floating Harry Heads

"Get up! Merlin's beard, get up!" It was the bellowing and ceaseless pounding on her solid wooden door the next morning which reminded her it was Christmas day. The torture of her poor door didn't stop until she was dressed and called back to the boys on the other side.

Grinning, she yelled, "Oy! I'm coming out, if you pound in my head I'll bewitch my door to come alive and have it's revenge!" The heavy thumping stopped and Lenaya opened the door slowly. There was no one there. She stepped out confused but before she had time to look around there was a flurry of red and black and she was tackled to the wall.

"Happy Christmas!" Fred and George had pinned her to the wall with a cheerful hug and Harry and Ron were holding colourful boxes behind them. They raced down to the common room where the massive pine tree in the corner of the room stood. Under it was an assortment of various sized parcels and packages. Lenaya didn't expect any presents at all. After all, there would only be Snape and he didn't much care for the frivolity of Christmas giving. Ron opened a wrapped package first to reveal a maroon coloured, hand-knit sweater. He reddened and his brothers forced the fabric over his head.

"Mum, makes us sweaters every year." He explained sheepishly to Harry and Lenaya.

Next Fred and George opened their packages and took out their sweaters. One had the letter, 'F' and the other had the letter, 'G' on it. Fred gave George the 'F' sweater and took the 'G' sweater for himself. "Your's doesn't have an 'R' on it. I suppose Mum thinks you won't forget your name." Fred said.

"Honestly, we know we're Gred and Forge." George laughed and they opened several smaller packages. Harry had some presents as well and a few from Hermione and even one from Mrs. Weasley. Though his consisted of a peice of Muggle money, a flute from Hagrid and several books from Hermione. He had a sweater as well, only his had a snitch stitched to it right in the centre. Ron reddened further.

"I might have mentioned how you don't get many Christmas presents." He shrugged and bit into a chocolate frog.

Harry didn't seem to mind and was grateful for all the presents he had received. Lenaya sat on the settee watching, perfectly content to be happy with her friends getting and opening their presents. Somehow, through tout all the tinsel and wrapping wars, Fred and George managed to shove Percy's hand-knit sweater over his reddened face like they had with Ron.

"Look, Perc!" Fred pointed at the centre of the sweater.

"'P', for 'Prefect'!" George teased. "Oh, no you don't!" Percy tried to escape through the portrait hole, "Christmas is a time for family, Perc!" The two grabbed their brother's retreating shoulders and forced him down next to Lenaya on the settee.

"Just don't start singing." Fred warned. The fire roared and the sweater seemed to be unnecissary but Gred and Forge refused to let anyone take theirs off.

"Look, Lenaya!" George called as he crawled under the tree to avoid being hit by Fred's Berry Berry Christmas Candied Bombs. He emerged from the needles and held up a small package with her name on it. "I told you you would get a present." He handed the package to her and jumped as he was hit in the bum with a watermelon flavoured Christmas Candied Bomb. Lenaya inspected the package and flipped it over and over but there was no name on it, no sign as to who it might be from.

She ripped the wrapping and found a letter within. Along with the letter was a long, silver-white, shinning dress. In the fire-light, stars seemed to glint within the fabric itself and it shimmered like water. To touch, it was the softest and lightest fabric she had ever felt. It was beautiful, and she took the letter and ripped open the unmarked seal. She read the neat writing on the tan parchment.

"_To the girl who has nothing, the girl who deserves everything. My Amaranthine._" She flipped the letter over, but there was no name or signiture. "Percy?" The uncomfortable prefect gave her his attention. "What does, 'Amaranthine' mean?" Percy thought.

"I remember reading of it before, well not _of _it but there was a small reference. However, I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention to it. Sorry." Lenaya frowned, but her face was hard to keep from lighting up as she stood and held the beautiful dress to her swaying body, it looked like it would fit her perfectly. Though they were boys, even the twins, Harry and Ron admired the splendor of it's glistening material and weightless feel. She folded the dress and wrapped it safely back into it's ripped coverings. Her, Harry and the Weasleys sang songs and told stories and played wizard games for hours. Pretty soon they had all the paintings and portraits around the scarlet common room singing and dancing along with them and the quidditch portrait was flying in and out of the other paintings. Fred and George taught the rest of them a dance they named the Weasley Wamble with consisted of one patting your head and rubbing your tummy and hopping around, of course as time went by the dance became more and more complex and eventually involved several cartwheels and a handstand.

After their merry-making in the common room, the remaining Griffindors followed the very familiar path down to the Great Hall where the decorations were ever more magnificent then they were the night before. Enchanted snow, warm and dry, fell from the bewitched ceiling and tinsel and holly was hung from every corner and rafter and the massive pine trees were decorated even more heavily then they had been, with glinting baubles and colourful stars. Candles levitated all around the hall and set the room alight in a romantic shine and the teachers were all joining in in the cheer as they dressed in red and green and Dumbledore wore a long robe with holly sprouting out in various places. Of course except Snape, who was dressed in his usual black. It was only when the Christmas speech had been given did the drinking start.

Hagrid became louder and louder as he tipped fuller and fuller giant mugs of eggnog into his bearded lips and at one point he actually leant over and kissed McGonagall on her rosy cheeks and to Lenaya's surprise McGonagall flushed and giggled. Ever since her first day of term, Lenaya felt safer somehow and she had began eating more then she normally did, she also began eating lunch and filling out like a normal girl her age. Though Snape would never admit it, she did see him look somewhat not as gloomy whenever he saw her eating with the other Griffindors and today was no different. She shoved turkey legs, roast, potatoes, sprouts, green beans, anything she could find she ate. The same went for the Weasleys as it was obvious the tall boys were used to a rather abundant diet at home as they swallowed anything within arm's length. Then came the puddings and all bets were off as Harry dove into every dish, sampling every sweet treat he could find. Harry, Lenaya noticed, was very thin and she couldn't help but wonder where he was packing all his food as he sucked on his tenth sugar violet. The feast lasted hours and hours and Lenaya sneaked Snape little grins as he pretended to enjoy Flitwick's jokes and riddles about various charms. He did, however, look somewhat paler then normal and Lenaya couldn't help but feel concerned as she saw his face was even more sunken and sallow then usual.

Though she was concerned, she had to worry about it later as the feast was far too splendid and her company was much too cheerful for her to be able to focus on negative thoughts. As Harry told a joke about his fat, horrid cousin Dudley, Lenaya laughed uncontrollably and she caught a glimpse at the teachers as she did so. Snape sipped his wine bitterly, giving Harry an icy glare and Dumbledore simply rose his chalice and inclined his head only slightly before drinking from it. Lenaya grinned at the contrast between the two and continued talking to Fred, George and Ron about the best way to de-gnome a garden. Later Fred and George handed out Christmas Poppers they had made themselves and even the teachers timidly took a few. Lenaya and Harry ripped one apart and Harry was covered in red, gold and green confetti and a large pointed hat in the form of a pine tree sprung onto Lenaya's head. Several live, white mice flew out of the popper that McGongall opened but when Snape received a bright pink hair brush, instead of silence like there had been yesterday, there was an ear-splitting chorus of laughter, more-so from the teachers then the students as they had been drinking a lot more then them. Lenaya winked at Snape and he smiled sarcastically and put the brush in Hagrid's beard, who, as he had had so much more to drink then anyone else, found it rather impossible to get it out again. As he bent over himself to try and bite it out, he fell over and onto the table, squishing several cakes. He summer-salted over the table and landed on his rather large bum on the other side. The students in the hall cheered and Hagrid looked around seemingly not knowing how he had got on the floor or why.

After the feast, which had lasted far longer then any other at Hogwarts as it was well into the night when they were finished, the Griffindors and the few Ravenclaws and a couple Hufflepuffs who were left at the school bid each other a happy Christmas and a goodnight and then they returned to their respective common rooms. The paintings around the room were, as usual, fast asleep and snoring soundly. The fire, which came to life when someone entered the common room, roared happily then settled back down as the room became quite warm. Feeling rather puckered out Lenaya and the others said their goodnights and retired to their dormitories. Once inside her empty room, Lenaya took out from her pocket one of the live- white mice which McGongall had set free and opened Adiemus' cage and shoved the squealing creature inside. Adiemus swallowed the mouse whole gratefully and Lenaya let her free. The barn owl flew around the room happy to be out of her cage at last and landed on Lenaya's shoulder, nibbling her ear. Pavarti didn't like her owl being set loose in the dormitory and so Adiemus was usually in her cage most of the day, however on the weekends, Lenaya would take her down to the lake and set her free and watch her fly high over the trees and the castle.

Lenaya let the grateful owl fly around and didn't make her go back into her cage as a well deserved Christmas present and she herself settled down on her bed for the night. The dress which she had got from her secret Santa hung like shimmering water in the opened wardrobe and shown in the moonlight let in from the window. As she was just about to shut her eyes a loud rapping came from her door and she jumped with fright. She wrapped her robe around her night dress and opened the heavy door slowly. On the other side was Ron and Harry looking extremely excited over something.

"You will never believe what Harry got for Christmas." Ron said grinning. Harry and Ron pulled her from the dormitory as boys were not allowed to enter the girl's dormitories and rushed her into theirs'. She looked around and found that there was no difference in the decorating except for the colour of the curtains around the four-poster beds. West Ham posters hung on the wall and to Lenaya's amazement, they did not move at all, not one. The other boys had gone home for the holidays and so it was just Harry and Ron on their own. Although there was no difference between the boy's and girl's dormitories, Lenaya could not help but notice the floors were messier and the smell was definitely different in here.

Harry went to a bed she assumed would be his and turned back around grinning ear to ear. He held up a long silvery cloak made from a watery material not unlike the dress Lenaya herself had recieved. She touched it gingerly and grinned too, the fabric felt like a cool, light liquid and was extremly beautiful to touch and see. Harry waved it infront of her happily.

"Guess what it is." Harry said excitedly.

Lenaya shrugged and smiled at the two happy faces before her. "What?" She asked, also getting excited.

Harry swung the cloak around him but suddenly, there was no Harry with a cloak around him. Suddenly, there was nothing. Lenaya blinked and looked at Ron as though she had missed something. She then felt her hair being pulled upward and looked around but there was nothing there. Then she yelled excitedly in a hushed tone, "An invisibility cloak!"

Harry pulled the cloak off his head so that he was nothing more then a floating, disembodied head with messy black hair. He walked around her and gave the impression that he was floating. Lenaya laughed and Ron grinned wider. "He got it for Christmas. It was just on his bed when we came back from the feast and we tried it on and, well-" Ron said indicating towards the floating Harry head.

"Who's it from?" Lenaya asked.

Harry took off the cloak and wrapped it into a ball on the foot of his bed and shrugged, "Dunno. There was just a note, no signature or anything."

Lenaya frowned, "Well what did the note say?"

"Something about how it was my father's and it was left in the possession of the person who gave it to me before he died." Harry said solemnly.

"And to use it well!" Added Ron.

Harry nodded. Lenaya thought, "Well, now we can finally go into the Restricted section in the library can't we? Find out if Nicholas Flamel is there or not." Ron looked taken aback.

"Honestly, we get an _invisibility _cloak and all you think about is getting _books_? You're spending _way _too much time with Hermione." Lenaya stuck her tongue out and ruffled Ron's ginger hair.

"That _is _fabulously brilliant though, Harry." She nodded and suddenly felt rather tired. "But, seriously, we should use it to look for Nicholas Flamel tomorrow." She said yawning. She rubbed her eyes and said, "Happy Christmas boys. G'night." She gave them both a hug and left the dormitory with them calling good-night after her. She slipped into her bed and fell right asleep instantly with dreams of pink shampoo and floating Harry heads.


	17. A Horrible Morning

The following morning was cold and dark as a snow, so heavy and large had blown in so much that the remaining students in the school dare not venture outside to the frozen desert. Indeed even if one wanted to venture out of the castle it would have been near impossible as the great oaken doors which lead out to the grounds had been snowed shut and they had proven very difficult to move at all. This was of little concern to Lenaya as she didn't much find the cold, winter weather all that enticing anyway and she had things to do within the castle. Things such as finding out who Nicholas Flamel was and along the way finding out the meaning of 'Amaranthine'.

Lenaya wrapped herself in her own clothes as she found waring her school robes and dirtying them up now would just be a waste and nonsensical. She pulled her old white sweater over her that Snape had bought her a year ago on her birthday and a pair of blue jeans which Hermione allowed her to ware as they had become too small for her and fit Lenaya perfectly. She slipped into a pair of old, dirty trainers and left the girl's dormitories. As it was still early, no one else was up except Percy who, like Hermione, found it rather fun to study at early hours on holidays. He apparently had not seen or heard her as she pushed her way through the still- sleeping Fat Lady and walked silently down the marble staircases.

"Good morning, Miss Riddle!" Came the cheery greeting from Sir Nick, the Griffindor house ghost. Lenaya grinned at him. "Pleasent holidays?" He asked.

She nodded, "Oh, yes. And yours?" At the time the question seemed relevant but then she remembered she had been talking to a dead man and suddenly felt foolish for asking him whether he was having a pleasant holiday or not.

Alas, to her comfort and surprise, Nick beamed, "Oh, yes very splendid. Quite, thank you." A sudden BOOM from one of the upper levels whipped the grin from Nick's transparent face and he sighed. The breath made Lenaya feel as though she had been dowsed in ice water. "There's Peeves again. I should probably go and see what that menace is up to now. Good day, Miss Riddle." With that he floated upward with no concern for the stairs above or the solid ceiling. She watched him amused then continued down the stairs.

As she passed through the corridor on the first floor she smelled the brilliant wafting scent of the breakfast the Hogwarts house-elves were cooking for the still-sleeping students. As she passed the stairs which lead down to the kitchens a young-looking house-elf bumped right into her carrying a tray of assorted fruits and cheeses. The house-elf looked frightened for a moment but then recognized Lenaya and grinned happily up at her.

"Good morning, Mistress Lenaya. Be good you are?" The beaming house-elf brushed her leg where he had bumped into her and said, "Very sorry, yes verry sorry."

Lenaya smiled at him and said, "Are you bringing that to a teacher Roulf?" Roulf the Hogwarts house-elf was Lenaya's favourite and when she would visit the castle with Snape years before he would always welcome her with trays of candies and sweets. She in turn was very kind to him and as long as she continued her kindness, he continued his appreciation and kept on giving her free foods and favours. Though it was not the prospect of free service that kept her being kind to him, Roulf was a very enjoyable companion and friend and she singularly liked him.

The house-elf nodded brightly, "Oh, yes, Mistress. Yes, Professor Snape has requested the tray, Miss. Ti's my duty to bring it to him." He shot a nervous look down at the dungeons then beamed back up at her. Lenaya smiled.

"Well, how about I take that for you, Roulf. I'm going to see the Professor right now and it would be foolish to waste your time when I could do that for you." The house-elf frowned and looked down at the stairs he had just come up from the kitchens then looked back at her nervously.

He nodded, "Alright, Miss. Miss is very kind to Roulf, Roulf appreciates Miss very much he does. Yes, thank you Miss." The house-elf patted her jeans and hopped down the stairs to the kitchens after giving her the tray gingerly as to not spill any of the rolling grapes or pears.

She smiled then took the opposite stairs down to the dark, cold dungeons. As she descended to the stone dungeons, Lenaya understood why Roulf was not eager to go down. It was beyond freezing under the lake and she swore that if she had poured water on the walls it would have frozen solid before reaching the bottom. She knocked on Snape's office door which was further down the dungeons then his classroom had been and waited for the silky, 'Enter' which beckoned her in.

She opened the door carefully as not to drop anything on the tray. She stepped in and miraculously caught a single grape which had detached itself from it's bunch and dropped from the silver tray. Snape eyed her from behind his desk as he straightened out parchment. "Why are you carrying that?" Lenaya shut the door then looked up at him and popped the grape into her mouth and smiled. His lip twitched in response and he indicated for her to sit in the chair opposite of his own. Several glittering jars full of sludge and pickled dead creatures floated around the room like in his classroom however these were, if possible, more grotesque and menacing then the others. She ignored them and sat in the old chair and placed the tray on his desk and swallowed the grape before replying.

"I din't want poor Roulf to catch a cold in this ice-box." Snape's eyebrow raised.

"You wanted to spare the house-elf?" But he seemed to not mind and acknowledged the fact that his office was extremely cold with a slight shiver. He pulled out his wand and waving it, the room seemed to become warmer then it had before. A fire also sprouted to life in the fireplace across the office which Snape very rarely used. "Thank you." He added as he took a slice of Wensleydale and a grape.

"Happy Christmas by the way. I didn't get to tell you yesterday." Snape nodded and read through a very short and untidy looking essay before him.

He sighed, obviously disgusted as he finished the parchments, "Longbottom's a disgrace. It will be a truly remarkable feat if he is to pass onto his second year here." He tossed the essay aside rolling his beady eyes.

"He_ is_ frightened of you." Lenaya said quietly. He didn't seem to care much as he shrugged and folded his hands on his table and eyed her again.

"Have you caught your rouge professor yet? Is he still trying to get whatever is up on the third floor which you simply _refuse _to let me know about?" Lenaya asked and Snape was quiet then-

"Well of course I won't let you know of it, do you think yourself special?"

Lenaya pretended to think then popping another grape into her mouth said, "Yes." Snape sighed and she couldn't help but notice how thin he was and how much paler he appeared.

"No, I haven't." Snape said heavily.

Lenaya licked her lip and said, "Hmm, you know there are those who think it could be _you _who is trying to get whatever is there." She went quiet and Snape's dark eyes narrowed as he pierced her own light blue gaze.

"How close are you to," He stuttered as though saying the name would invoke a horrible wrath. "_Potter_?" Lenaya swallowed and took another grape.

She chewed it then swallowed again slowly. "I don't know, I mean, we're friends-" Snape flinched. "But I don't know what you're thinking-" Then deciding that changing the subject would be a good idea, she said, "Do you know anything about a Nicholas Flamel?"

Everything turned for the worse. It all happened so fast that she had no idea what was happening until it was too late and she couldn't protect herself. Snape had stood and leaped to the other side of the desk with both hands on either side of her chair so their noses were inches apart and she got the tingling icy sensation as though she were wading in ice and memories flashed in her mind like a sped up film. Her and George talking late in the night, her taking a transfiguration exam and Harry passing her notes about Malfoy, then the last seemed to be what he was looking for, she had just embraced Harry tightly after the first Quidditch game. Harry was blushing horribly and Snape withdrew himself from her mind.

She was on the stone floor drenched in cold sweat and starred angrily up at Snape who looked as though he were about to go and find Harry and do something which would end up with Harry in one of the glittering jars. Lenaya stumbled to her shaking legs and walked up slowly to Snape. Though he was much taller then her, she leaped up and SMACK!

A pink imprint of her slender hand marked his sallow face and his beady eyes sparkled with anger. "How dare you." She whispered darkly and Snape was uncomfortably reminded of a smaller Bellatrix. Snape swallowed, he hadn't known what had come over him, he hadn't thought. It was a rare moment indeed when Snape found himself out of control of his temper and now it had felt as though he had even blacked out and he had no idea why he had just done what he did. His hatred for the Potter boy overwhelmed his senses and he couldn't help himself, the thought of Potter and his Lenaya, _his _Lenaya... But that's not what the situation was at all. He had heard her thoughts at that moment and he knew that they weren't there with that sort of relationship, he cursed himself mentally, of course they weren't like that, they were so young as well, how could he think that of her? He knew he could never trust a Potter, but to think something horrid of her? Not that he even thought anything horrid, however being with Potter as a friend was sickening enough to him...

He shook himself out of his personal reprimand and saw Lenaya now clearly. She was suppressing tears and he could see he had hurt her badly. The last time he had entered her mind without permission the consequences had been severe and she refused to speak to him for weeks, he knew now, those consequences would be worse. She shook her head and laughed, it sounded almost hysterical. "I knew you hated me being in Griffindor! You've been disappointed in me for ages! I knew it, I knew you couldn't cope with me being anywhere _near_ him! How dare you, how could you do this? You know, you are_ so _selfish, you don't care about anyone but yourself, just because you have some blood-fude with Harry!?" She looked as though she were going to hit him again, he did nothing. He didn't even look her in the eye. He knew he was wrong and sorry but he also knew that saying or doing anything would be folly as she was who she was. She walked to the office door and swung it open with amazing force, "I'll see in lesson, _Professor_." And with that she slammed the door loudly behind her and was gone.

She stormed up the stone stairs and was so blinded by the flow of tears she nearly mowed over Roulf again. She stopped abruptly and whipped the tears from her wet face trying to keep Roulf from noticing but he noticed almost immediately. "Miss?" He asked in a quiet, concerned voice. "Miss alright? Miss, Miss want tea?" There was a loud _snap _and then he was holding a cup of hot tea up over his knobbly head for her. Lenaya smiled and took the tea with a silent thank you.

"What bothers Miss?" He asked, patting her leg consolingly. He led her into the empty Great Hall and sat her down at the Griffindor table as she drank the tea appreciatively.

Lenaya shook her head and sipped more tea. "Nothing you could help with, Roulf. Just Professor Snape-"

Roulf made a strange gurgling sound as though he were trying to growl and clenched his little hands into shaking fists, "Oh, that nasty, nasty man! Nasty, cruel, gloomy, slimy, man! Horrid wand-user, stinking potion stirrer, icky slim ball! Don't you think on it Mistress! Don't you think on it!" Then with a loud _snap _he was gone and left Lenaya with her half-empty cup and a very confused look. When she had finished with her tea there was yet another loud _snap _and Roulf was back with an air of one who was very proud of what he had just done. He smiled confidently and magicked the empty cup out of the Great Hall.

"Miss, you never be bothered again." He looked around as the Great Hall was beginning to busy as several Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff who looked as though they had just woken up entered the hall talking excitedly of yesterday. Roulf smiled again and there was a final _snap_ as he disappeared back to the kitchens.

It was a while before Ron and Harry came into the Great Hall, both looking very well rested and happy about their presents they had received the night before. They saw her alone at the Griffindor table and sat on the opposite side of her smiling.

"Mornin'!" Yawned Ron sleepily. Harry stretched and smiled.

Lenaya sighed, "Good morning." Just as she finished her morning greeting the tables filled with glittering plates and serving trays. The trays then filled with sausages, tomatoes, eggs, toast, mushrooms, and thick-sliced ham. Harry and Ron took no time and threw several items of food from each tray onto their own plates. "Ready to go and find out about Nicholas Flamel?" Lenaya asked quietly and Ron looked up at her with a sausage hanging limply from his mouth.

"Alright." Said Harry, then swallowing an egg added, "But first you have to hear about what happened to me last night." Ron listened too, apparently whatever Harry had done the night before was news to his best friend. He continued in a hushed voice so no one around him would be able to hear, "Last night I decided to use my Dad's invisibility cloak and you know, just have a look around." Ron shoved another tomato into his mouth then turned back to Harry listening intently. "I went over to the restricted section to see if I could get in some research you know, so anyway, I didn't get far and I had to get out of the library before Filtch came in and saw floating books being read by themselves. When I ran out of the library, guess who was there." Ron looked stumped.

"Snape?" Lenaya answered and Harry nodded.

"Snape. Snape was with Quirrell and they didn't look as though they were having a nice chat and a cuppa I can tell you that much." Ron didn't have anything to say and Harry took the silence as an invitation to continue. "He sounded like he was bullying Quirrell into something, to tell him something. But I didn't hear much, Filtch nearly ran into me and interrupted them before anything happened." Lenaya looked down at the empty, glittering plate in front of her.

"D'you think, ya' know, because there is Hagrid's dog on the trap door, that Quirrell is one of the other teachers who is protecting whatever is there?" Ron asked piecing the puzzle together. However, before either of them answered him he continued, "I mean, it would make sense wouldn't it? Snape has the secret on how to get through his protection charm and I bet the other teachers trust him like Dumbledore does, so now all he needs is to know how Quirrell's protection works so he can get whatever is down there!" They both looked at Lenaya, usually whenever they had talked about how they thought Snape was up to no good, she would reprimand them and tell them off for thinking such horrid things about a school teacher harsher then even Hermione. To their surprise she stayed quiet, lost in thought. Then she looked up and realised they were both waiting for her opinion.

"You could be right," Ron and Harry exchanged glances. "It does make sense." She said quietly.

Harry sighed, "Right, it's settled then. We need to find out who exactly this Nicholas Flamel is and what is hidden in the castle." After they ate their breakfast in silence for a time, Harry said, "I haven't told you the most interesting thing that happened last night." Harry then went on to explain how he had found an odd sort of mirror which had shown his his mother and father and several other members of his family. Ron and Lenaya were astounded, at least Lenaya acting as such. She chose to keep her trip to the mirror of Erised a secret. It was only when they left the Great Hall did Lenaya realise that a horrible morning made for a dredful day.


End file.
